NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston has launched market research for a successor to its T-38 Talon astronaut trainers, asking industry for information on modern high-performance jets that could support flight-readiness training. The notice keeps the effort at the information-gathering stage for now, but it signals planning for a post-T-38 fleet as the long-serving aircraft becomes harder to maintain.
The request is broad in scope and leaves room for existing, production or near-production aircraft. NASA is not limiting responses to a single performance category or to aircraft with a particular lineage, suggesting it wants to assess a wide range of options before moving towards any procurement decision.
The move comes as the agency looks to preserve astronaut proficiency training while the T-38 fleet ages and supportability tightens. It also follows a recent Artemis-themed repainting of one of the aircraft, underlining that the trainers remain active even as NASA begins to prepare for their eventual replacement. The U.S. Air Force’s own T-38 replacement effort with the T-7A Red Hawk has also continued to slip, adding to broader uncertainty around the future of the type.