The US government shutdown has forced many sectors across the country to a halt, and NASA is no exception. The agency sent 15,000 employees home this week, pausing work across much of its operations already strained by budget cuts and job losses. But one program is still moving ahead: Artemis, NASA’s ambitious mission to return astronauts to the moon for the first time in 50 years. NASA leaders and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have called Artemis a national security priority, framing it as a race with China. “China is NOT going to the moon with good intentions. America will get there FIRST, preserving peace for both the U.S. and our international partners,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy on social media before the shutdown. According to a NASA statement, more than 3,000 employees will continue working during the shutdown which is 2,000 more than under the agency’s last shutdown plan, thanks to the Artemis exemption. Most of the ongoing work is focused on Artemis II, a crewed test flight around the moon scheduled for as early as February. The mission will carry four astronauts and is considered critical for safety. “We anticipate being able to continue moving forward on Artemis II in the event of a shutdown,” Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator for exploration systems, said last month. NASA’s plan also allows work on Artemis III, the first planned moon landing since Apollo, set for 2027, and future missions later in the decade. While Artemis moves ahead, other NASA programs are facing deep cuts. Congress gave Artemis a $10 billion lifeline during the Trump administration the first time, but the White House’s latest budget proposal seeks to slash NASA’s science funding by nearly 50 per cent and reduce its overall budget by 24 per cent.
