NASA maintains Artemis moon missions during US government shutdown

During the 2025 U.S. government shutdown, NASA furloughed around 15,000 employees but required approximately 3,500 to continue working without pay on projects deemed presidential priorities by President Donald Trump, notably the Artemis moon mission program. Artemis, NASA's ambitious program to return astronauts to the moon and prepare for future Mars missions, was exempted due to its designation as a national security priority, with bipartisan support emphasizing competition with China. Work continued on Artemis II, a crewed test flight around the moon, and preparations for Artemis III, the first moon landing mission since Apollo planned for 2027. NASA also maintained operations related to the International Space Station and essential satellite missions critical for safety. Contractors like SpaceX and Blue Origin, involved in Artemis projects, had their staff remain on the job as well. Despite the shutdown and proposed budget cuts targeting NASA's science funding, NASA employees and union representatives on the Space Coast remained cautiously optimistic about continuing essential work during the funding lapse.