NASA employees on Artemis missions with SpaceX, Blue Origin to work through shutdown

In a recent announcement, NASA has mandated that employees involved in the Artemis missions with contractors SpaceX and Blue Origin remain on duty during the ongoing government shutdown. Though these employees will not receive pay during this furlough, they are instructed to document their hours worked, according to an email from NASA Chief Human Capital Officer Kelly Elliott. Expected to receive compensation once the government reopens, about 3,000 NASA employees will continue their work while approximately 15,000 staff members face furlough. NASA's acting finance chief, Steve Shinn, detailed in a memo that the agency will maintain support for missions deemed essential, including operations of the International Space Station and satellite missions that are currently active. Specifically, Shinn emphasized that Artemis operations would persist during the shutdown, involving both employees and contractors dedicated to these projects. The shutdown, which commenced early Wednesday, has far-reaching implications, affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers and various programs across the government. NASA's Artemis program aims to send astronauts to the Moon to facilitate scientific exploration, garner economic benefits, and lay the groundwork for future crewed missions to Mars. While the recent memos did not explicitly name the contractors involved, SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has secured significant contracts related to Artemis, utilizing its Starship rocket, which is recognized as the tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched. Since April 2023, SpaceX has conducted ten test flights of the Starship system, with another flight scheduled for October 13. Although the company has faced five failures, a partial failure, and four successful attempts, its advancements remain pivotal for Artemis missions. Blue Origin, founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, has also been awarded an Artemis contract, and its work on the lunar lander will continue throughout the shutdown. Artemis III, projected for 2027, will be the first mission to actively involve SpaceX, with plans to land two astronauts on the Moon's south pole. The Artemis II mission, set for early 2026, aims to send four astronauts on a lunar flyby without landing. Looking ahead, Artemis IV and beyond will include collaborations with SpaceX to establish a lunar space station, thereby preparing for eventual human missions to Mars, with Artemis V likely involving Blue Origin. As of now, neither SpaceX nor Blue Origin has finalized their lunar lander designs, as they are still in the testing phase. Representatives from NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin have not yet provided comments on the current situation, and NASA's communications office is currently closed due to the funding lapse.