NASA's 2025 astronaut class boasts a remarkable addition: two SpaceX veterans, Anna Menon and Yuri Kubo. Their selection highlights the increasingly blurred lines between private and public space exploration. Menon, a senior engineer at SpaceX, brings extensive experience in private astronaut missions, notably her role as mission specialist and medical officer on the record-breaking Polaris Dawn mission—the first commercial spacewalk. Before joining SpaceX in 2018, Menon provided biomedical support for astronauts at NASA's Mission Control Center. Meanwhile, Kubo spent 12 years at SpaceX, holding key positions such as Falcon 9 launch director and overseeing the Starshield program and ground systems.
These two stand out amongst the 10 individuals chosen from a pool of over 8,000 applicants. The rigorous, almost two-year training program covers a vast curriculum: from robotics and geology to foreign languages, space medicine, simulated spacewalks, and comprehensive flight training. Upon successful completion, these newly minted astronauts will join the ranks of over 40 active astronauts. Their skills and experience are crucial as NASA prepares to transition to commercial private space stations in 2030, following the retirement of the ISS. Furthermore, this elite group will be eligible for future lunar and Martian missions.
This isn't the first instance of SpaceX alumni joining NASA's astronaut corps. The trend underscores SpaceX's significant contribution to human spaceflight, not only supporting private missions but also cultivating highly skilled professionals who are now integral to government space programs. This contrasts sharply with the traditional path to becoming a NASA astronaut, which historically heavily favored military and academic backgrounds. SpaceX has undeniably emerged as a pivotal training ground for engineers and mission operators in the field of human spaceflight, reshaping the landscape of space exploration. The inclusion of Menon and Kubo is a testament to this evolving paradigm.
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Originally published at: https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/23/nasas-new-astronaut-class-includes-spacex-veterans-anna-menon-and-yuri-kubo/