HOUSTON, TX – Two Purdue graduates are NASA’s newest astronaut candidates.
Yuri Kubo, 40, of Columbus, Indiana, and Adam Fuhrmann, 35, of Leesburg, Virginia, were selected as one of 10 individuals for the 2025 astronaut class, as announced on Monday at the Johnson Space Center.
Kubo brings a wealth of experience in the aerospace industry to his new role. He spent 12 years at SpaceX, where he served as a launch director for Falcon 9 rockets and held directorial positions in avionics and ground segment. Most recently, he was a senior vice president at Electric Hydrogen.
A proud Purdue University alumnus, Kubo earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the school. Purdue’s College of Engineering also honored him with a “38 by 38” award in 2024.
Another Purdue graduate, Adam Fuhrmann, was also chosen for the same astronaut class.
Fuhrmann, from Virginia and currently serving in the U.S. Air Force, earned his master’s degree in systems engineering from Purdue in 2022. Fuhrmann served as the director of operations for an Air Force flight test unit when he was selected as an astronaut candidate.
He reported for military duty in September 2025. He is a major in the United States Air Force and has accumulated more than 2,100 flight hours, including 400 combat hours, in 27 aircraft types. He has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds master’s degrees in flight test engineering and systems engineering from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and Purdue University, respectively. At the time of his selection, Fuhrmann served as the director of operations for an Air Force flight test unit.
The alumni, Adam Fuhrmann and Yuri Kubo, will immediately join the Cradle of Astronauts at Purdue, bringing the total number of its members to 30.
Purdue’s Cradle of Astronauts began in 1959 when Virgil “Gus” Grissom, a 1950 alum, became a member of the Mercury Seven. The cradle also includes both the first person and the most recent person to walk on the moon. The first person, Armstrong, graduated from Purdue in 1955. Gene Cernan, the most recent person, is a 1956 alum. Armstrong and Cernan received honorary doctorates from Purdue in 1970.
The new astronaut candidates will now begin a rigorous, two-year training program. This comprehensive training will prepare them for future space missions and includes a range of topics, from robotics and geology to land and water survival, foreign language proficiency, and high-performance jet flying.
