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Astronaut
Astronauts fly spacecraft and do experiments in space.
Average salary (a year)
£0
Starter
£0
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
0.0 to 0.0 hours
Work Hours
days / nights / weekends
How to become
Explore the different ways to get into this role
You can get into this career by applying directly.
Direct Application
You can apply for astronaut training with the European Astronaut Corps or with NASA.
You need to be between 27 and 37 years old and able to speak English fluently. It'll be helpful if you can also speak basic Russian because it's spoken with English on the International Space Station.
You'll have an advantage if you're a pilot with at least 1,000 hours of flying experience in a high performance aircraft like a fighter jet.
You'll also need a degree and a postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject like
biology, chemistry or physics, engineering, medicine, aeronautics, mathematics
You must hold US citizenship or US dual-citizenship to become an astronaut with NASA.
More Information
Career Tips
There's only a small number of astronaut training places available and there's a lot of competition for them.
You'll need to do rigorous physical and psychological testing as part of the application process so you'll need to maintain excellent health and endurance.
Further Information
You can discover more about how to become an astronaut from:the European Space Agency, SpaceCareers.uk
What it takes
Find out what skills you’ll use in this role
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
    The ability to use your judgement and make decisions
    The ability to operate and control equipment
    Physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
    To be thorough and pay attention to detail
    Leadership skills
    Observation and recording skills
    The ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
    Thinking and reasoning skills
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Related Restrictions
pass a medical check
have a good level of fitness
What you will do
Discover the day-to-day tasks you’ll do in this role
Day to day tasks
As an astronaut, much of your time will be spent training to carry out tasks before going into space. Once there, you could
clean and test air filters and air quality, repair, maintain and test oxygen production systems, clean and maintain water systems and testing for bacterial growth, package and dispose of waste, replace worn or broken parts on the spacecraft, install or repair scientific instruments and equipment, set up, carry out and monitor experiments, take samples, like blood, from astronauts to assess their health, communicate with Earth by satellite to transfer data and send reports
Working environment
You could work at a training centre.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding, cramped and you may spend nights away from home.
Career Path & Progression
Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities
You'll have several years' training before you're ready for a mission. It may take you years to be selected for a space flight. Once you're selected, you'll get mission specific training. Your flight in space could last between 6 months and a year.
With experience you could
be selected for other missions, move into management, teaching or research, set up your own consultancy business
You can find out more about related career opportunities in space exploration from the European Space Agency.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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