Artemis Work Continues as NASA Shuts Down

Space agency has furloughed about 15,000 personnel, but employees working on ‘presidential priorities’ will stay on job.

Jack Daleo

Saturday, October 04, 2025 at 01:10 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Employees working on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket are among those continuing to work during the government shutdown. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

Thousands of NASA employees have been furloughed due to the government shutdown, but approximately 3,500 continue working without pay on "presidential priorities" and essential safety-related missions.
The Artemis moon mission program, including development of human landing systems by contractors like SpaceX and Blue Origin, is designated a "presidential priority" and remains operational during the shutdown.
Beyond the immediate shutdown, the Trump administration aims to permanently reduce NASA's workforce by nearly one-third, potentially through involuntary reductions in force, despite congressional opposition to these cuts.

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As the government shutdown continues, thousands of NASA employees have been furloughed. But thousands more are continuing to work—without pay—on projects considered “presidential priorities” by President Donald Trump.

Among them is the Artemis moon mission program, according to a memo sent by Steve Shinn, NASA’s acting chief financial officer, to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Monday. Despite proposing the largest single-year funding cut in NASA’s history, the Trump administration has requested additional funding for Artemis and other human exploration missions. Trump himself has not been shy about his ambitions to send astronauts to Mars.