NASA requests 3,000 employees to stay on the job without pay, amid government shutdown

NASA is making thousands of employees work without pay during the government shutdown to keep its Artemis moon missions on track with private contractors SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Workers assigned to Artemis projects will continue their duties unpaid but must log their hours, according to an email sent Wednesday by Kelly Elliott, NASA’s Chief Human Capital Officer. The space agency expects to compensate employees once the government reopens.

Steve Shinn, NASA’s acting finance chief, outlined which missions would stay operational in a Monday memo. The agency plans to furlough approximately 15,000 workers while requiring roughly 3,000 staff members to remain on duty either part-time or full-time throughout the shutdown.

The government shutdown started early Wednesday morning, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal workers into unpaid leave and closing numerous programs and services nationwide. Only workers deemed essential, such as TSA officers and air traffic controllers, must stay on the job. As reported by Cryptopolitan, the shutdown may continue till mid-October.

NASA will maintain “planned operations” for the International Space Station and any satellite missions currently operational, Shinn stated. He emphasized that “Artemis operations during any funding lapse” would continue, covering both agency employees and contractors working on those projects.

Latest NASA memos leave contractor roles unclear

The Artemis program aims to send astronauts back to the moon for scientific research and economic purposes while laying the groundwork for the first human trips to Mars, according to NASA’s website. This week’s memos did not specify which contractors are involved in different Artemis missions.

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, secured major Artemis contracts with its Starship rocket, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched. The company has conducted 10 test flights of the complete Starship system since April 2023, with another planned for October 13. Previous test flights produced five failures, one partial failure, and four successes.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, the Amazon founder’s space company, also won an Artemis contract. Work on its lunar lander will proceed during the shutdown, NASA employees confirmed.

Moon landing timeline stretches to 2027

Artemis III, slated for 2027, marks the first mission with direct SpaceX involvement. Two NASA astronauts would land in the moon’s south polar region during this flight.

Earlier Artemis missions saw NASA partnering with Lockheed Martin and Boeing to design, build, analyze, and purchase rockets that the agency would own completely. Artemis II, scheduled for early 2026, plans to send four astronauts around the moon without landing before returning home.

Artemis IV aims to place astronauts in the first lunar space station with SpaceX’s help, assisting NASA and partners in preparing for an eventual Mars mission. Blue Origin is expected to participate in Artemis V.

Neither SpaceX nor Blue Origin has completed their lunar lander designs, having only constructed test equipment so far.

NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin representatives did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. An automatic reply from NASA stated the agency “is closed due to a lapse in government funding.”

Cheryl Warner, news chief in NASA’s communications office, sent an automated message saying she was in furlough status and unable to respond.

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