Courtesy Photo | Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ben Bailey is joining NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidate...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – From foxholes to flying helicopters in combat, and even to floating labs in space, when the U.S. Army needs unmatched expertise and leadership, it turns to its warrant officers.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph B. “Ben” Bailey was announced by NASA on Sept. 22 to join its 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class. He reported for duty Sept. 15 and upon completing the initial astronaut training program he will become eligible for mission assignments.
As an Army astronaut, Bailey will be assigned to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s NASA Detachment.
“I’m humbled and honored to have been invited to join this team,” Bailey said. “This position is not something I had envisioned as an option when I joined the Army, but every moment I spend with this team I feel extremely fortunate for the opportunity, and a great excitement for the possibilities.
“It is important to remember that I am a small member of a large team, both here at NASA and within the Army,” he added. “I am only here thanks to the mentors who have guided me and the peers who have challenged me. Being selected is as much a reflection of them as it is of me and I am excited to bring their knowledge, expertise, and leadership with me to help contribute to NASA’s mission.”
Bailey is just the second warrant officer chosen to represent the Army in space. The first one selected was Chief Warrant Officer 4 (retired) Thomas J. Hennen, who flew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-44 as a payload specialist. He and others serving in the warrant officer cohort are quiet professionals who ensure the mission gets done, no matter the terrain or technology.
“It is a great honor to follow up CW4 Hennen as the second Army warrant officer to work with NASA,” Bailey said. “I am excited to represent the Army, Army aviation, and the Warrant Officer Cohort in this capacity. Warrant officers are a small but vital community, and many people outside the Army are unfamiliar with their expertise. I believe their skills translate very well to the Astronaut Corps. I hope my presence here encourages more warrant officers to pursue this path, and I hope to see some in the next selection in a few years.”
Prior to being selected, Bailey attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and worked as an experimental test pilot specializing in developmental testing of Army equipment on UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. He deployed during Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute Support.
“The Army, and especially the Warrant Officer Cohort, has given me a strong foundation in quiet leadership, teamwork, and commitment to service,” Bailey said. “I am a product of the leaders and mentors I have had throughout my career. Through them I have learned to lead peers, foster team relationships, and communicate effectively. In this new role I want to carry forward those lessons, employ them daily, and use my experience to help mentor others.
“Very similar sentiments that led me to the Army have led me to pursue the astronaut position: a desire to use my talents and gifts to their fullest potential, working with strong teams of dedicated and motivated individuals, and to contribute to human exploration and advancement on Earth and in space,” he added.
Current active-duty astronaut-qualified Soldiers include: Col. Anne McClain, Col. Andrew Morgan and Col. Frank Rubio.
The 16 retired Army astronauts include: Col. James Adamson, Lt. Col. Michael Clifford, Col. Col. Timothy Creamer, Col. Nancy Currie-Gregg, Col. Patrick Forrester, Lt. Col. Charles Gemar, Col. Shane Kimbrough, Col. Timothy Kopra, Capt. Richard Linnehan, Col. William McArthur, Col. Sherwood Spring, Brig. Gen. Robert Stewart, Col. Mark Vande Hei, Col. James Voss, Col. Douglas Wheelock and Col. Jeffrey Williams.
Stewart was the first active-duty Soldier selected as an astronaut in 1979.
Rubio, who returned to Earth Sept. 27, 2023, from the International Space Station and broke the record for the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut with 371 days, said he is excited to welcome Bailey to the Army Astronaut Corps.
“We’re confident that he will continue the incredible legacy of service and leadership that Army astronauts have contributed to our nation’s human spaceflight program,” Rubio said.
McClain, Army NASA Detachment’s commander in Houston, said the Army has a long and proud legacy of serving our country on the highest ground. She added that two out of the three astronauts on Apollo 11, the first moon landing mission, were U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. graduates: Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
“Welcoming CW3 Bailey to the Astronaut Corps is a very proud moment for the Army,” McClain said. “CW3 Bailey brings exactly the kind of expertise that strengthens the Astronaut Corps—deep operational experience, combat-tested leadership, and the technical skill of a seasoned test pilot. Soldiers are trained to lead in complex, high-stakes environments, and CW3 Bailey embodies that. His background as a helicopter pilot adds an increasingly critical skillset at NASA as we prepare for the Artemis missions to the lunar surface, and his experience under pressure will be invaluable in space operations. The Army continues to deliver adaptable, mission-ready leaders to NASA.
“CW3 Bailey’s selection is historic as he is the first warrant officer ever chosen as a NASA astronaut,” she added. “We have hundreds of Army applicants every selection cycle, and candidates are put through a rigorous selection cycle. That’s a powerful message to the force: excellence comes from every rank. Warrant officers bring deep technical expertise and operational insight, and CW3 Bailey’s selection showcases the value they bring not just to the Army, but to the nation’s most advanced missions. It’s an inspiring milestone.”
USASMDC Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 John P. Peart said he is extremely proud to see Bailey selected as an Army warrant officer astronaut candidate.
“I have no doubt he will not only represent himself with great success, but also the Warrant Officer Cohort, USASMDC, and Army overall,” Peart said. “CW3 Bailey’s selection shows the Army has a growing confidence in the Warrant Officer Corps and our ability to conduct business along with our officer counterparts. CW3 Bailey’s selection shows the cohort’s increased competence both tactically and technically to represent the Army in jobs outside our normal military occupational specialty tasks.”
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2025 12:40 |
| Story ID: | 548993 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 296 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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