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12h ago

NASA Halts Most Operations During Shutdown as Artemis Work Continues

A contested White House budget and OMB actions put long-running science missions at risk.

Technical personnel at Beijing Aerospace Control Center monitor the docking of the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft with Tiangong space station on April 24.
Artemis I sits at Launch Pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at sunrise, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, as seen from nearby Canaveral National Seashore. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A SpaceX Super Heavy booster carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off on its 10th test flight at the company's launchpad in Starbase, Texas, on August 26.
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Overview

  • NASA posted a "closed" notice after funding lapsed on October 1, pausing non‑essential work and keeping only life‑ and property‑protection operations such as ISS support and planetary defense online.
  • Roughly 15,000 employees were furloughed while more than 3,000 continue to work on Artemis missions designated as excepted activities, with excepted staff expected to receive back pay after the shutdown.
  • An updated shutdown plan shows about 2,000 more employees are working than in prior contingencies due to the Artemis exemption, with work centered on crewed lunar flights including Artemis II and III.
  • Congress has rejected steep proposed cuts to NASA, but lawmakers warn OMB could move to implement the President’s Budget Request, potentially terminating about 20 active robotic science missions and stranding roughly $12 billion in prior investment.
  • This disruption follows earlier workforce losses as about 4,000 employees accepted deferred‑resignation offers, heightening risks for contractors, university research, and mission timelines.