Applications open on March 31 and women are encouraged to apply, as the agency seeks to “expand gender diversity in our ranks,” according to an ESA statement published Monday.
“To go further than ever, we need to look further than ever,” said ESA Director-General Jan Wörner in the statement.
“This recruitment process is the first step and I hope to see the agency develop in all areas of space exploration and innovation, with our international partners, in the coming years.”
The agency is looking forward to receiving applications from all parts of society, according to David Parker, ESA’s director of human and robotics exploration.
“The diversity at ESA should not only address the origin, age, background or gender of our astronauts, but also perhaps physical disabilities,” said Parker in the statement. “To make this dream a reality, together with the recruitment of astronauts, I am launching the Parastronaut Feasibility Project – an innovation that the time has come”.
The registration period runs from March 31 to May 28 on the ESA Career website. Candidates will then go through a six-step selection process that is scheduled to end in October 2022, the statement said.
The agency requires a university degree, or equivalent, in natural sciences, engineering or medicine, and prefers candidates with at least three years of professional experience in a related field.
Candidates must be in good physical health and preferably 27 to 37 years old, according to the website.
In October, ESA signed a collaboration agreement with NASA to facilitate sustainable moon exploration.
The two agencies will work together at the Artemis Gateway lunar post, which will function as an intermediary station serving astronauts traveling from Earth before they reach the moon’s surface.
CNN’s Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.