Illinois Native Named Among NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidates

Savanna-native Cameron Jones has been selected as one of 10 astronaut candidates in NASA's 2025 class following a nationwide competition that drew more than 8,000 applicants.

Jones, 35, is a U.S. Air Force major and an experienced test pilot with more than 1,600 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft, including 150 combat hours.

Jones holds bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base. At the time of his selection, he was serving as an Air Force Academic Fellow at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The 2025 astronaut class reported for duty at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in September of this year. Their two-year program includes survival skills, robotics, geology, medicine, language study, simulated spacewalks, and flights in high-performance jets.

Once training is complete, candidates will become eligible for missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and eventually Mars.