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The U.S. government shutdown that began early Wednesday morning has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal employees, but NASA has directed staff working on the Artemis program—in partnership with SpaceX and Blue Origin—to remain on the job. Despite being required to continue, these employees will not receive pay until the government reopens, though they have been instructed to log their hours for future compensation.

NASA’s Instructions to Employees

In an email to staff, Kelly Elliott, NASA’s Chief Human Capital Officer, emphasized that workers assigned to Artemis missions will remain active throughout the shutdown. The agency confirmed that their roles are classified as essential, meaning their responsibilities directly support critical spaceflight programs that cannot pause without significant impact.

A separate memo by Steve Shinn, NASA’s acting finance chief, detailed that about 15,000 NASA workers will be furloughed, while around 3,000 will be required to continue working, either part time or full time, during the funding lapse. These include employees supporting the Artemis missions, the International Space Station (ISS), and satellite operations already in their mission phase.

Artemis: NASA’s Gateway to the Moon and Beyond

The Artemis program, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, represents NASA’s most ambitious space campaign in decades. Its goals include returning astronauts to the Moon, unlocking new avenues for scientific discovery, and laying the foundation for a crewed mission to Mars.

• Artemis II, slated for early 2026, will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby before returning to Earth, testing critical systems in preparation for future landings.
• Artemis III, scheduled for 2027, will mark the first crewed lunar landing of the program, targeting the Moon’s south polar region.
• Artemis IV and beyond will focus on establishing the Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the Moon that will serve as a stepping stone toward Mars exploration.

SpaceX and Blue Origin’s Role in Artemis

Two of the most high-profile private contractors in space exploration are central to Artemis.

• SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has secured contracts to use its Starship rocket, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built. Since April 2023, SpaceX has launched 10 test flights of Starship, with mixed outcomes—five failures, one partial failure, and four successes. Another test flight is scheduled for October 13. Artemis III will be the first mission where Starship directly supports NASA astronauts on the lunar surface.
• Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is developing its own lunar lander under an Artemis contract. While the lander’s design is not yet finalized, hardware testing has begun, and Artemis V is expected to incorporate Blue Origin’s system into future missions.

Earlier Artemis efforts involved collaborations with aerospace giants like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who provided early rocket designs and systems NASA purchased outright. The shift toward partnerships with newer private companies signals NASA’s evolving strategy of working with industry to reduce costs and accelerate development.

Impact of the Government Shutdown on NASA

The shutdown has placed most federal agencies in partial suspension. Essential workers such as air traffic controllers and TSA agents are also required to continue duties without immediate pay. For NASA, halting work on Artemis would cause costly delays, especially with hardware testing, launch timelines, and international collaborations already tightly scheduled.

Despite the furlough, NASA confirmed it will sustain Artemis operations during the funding lapse, prioritizing momentum on its lunar and Mars exploration roadmap. Employees supporting these efforts remain critical to ensuring safety and continuity in space programs that rely on precise timelines.

The Bigger Picture

The Artemis missions are more than just symbolic returns to the Moon. They represent the future of human space exploration and the expansion of private-public partnerships in aerospace. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin stand to gain significantly, not just in revenue but in credibility as global leaders in next-generation space technology.

For NASA employees, the requirement to work unpaid during the shutdown underscores the sacrifices made to keep these missions on track. While frustrating in the short term, their work is setting the stage for a new era of exploration, potentially delivering breakthroughs in science, international cooperation, and long-term space settlement.