NASA lays off 15,000 workers as government shutdown hits, Artemis moon program exempted

The U.S. government shutdown has forced NASA to send 15,000 employees home, halting much of its work already weakened by budget cuts and job losses.

Despite the disruption, the Artemis program - NASA’s mission to return astronauts to the moon for the first time in 50 years - remains active. The agency said more than 3,000 staff will continue working during the shutdown. This is 2,000 more than under its last shutdown plan, thanks to an exemption granted to Artemis.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy framed Artemis as a race with China, calling it a national security issue. “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,” he posted on social media before the shutdown.

Much of the ongoing work centers on Artemis II, a crewed mission that will orbit the moon as early as February. The flight will carry four astronauts and is seen as a key safety milestone. Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator for exploration systems, said that they anticipated being able to continue moving forward on Artemis II even in the event of a shutdown.

Work will also continue on Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2027, and on later missions planned for the decade.

While Artemis is protected, other NASA programs face major funding setbacks. Congress gave Artemis a $10 billion boost during the Trump administration, but the White House’s latest proposal seeks to cut NASA’s science budget by nearly half and reduce the agency’s overall funding by 24 percent.