US Government Shutdown Reaches Space: NASA Astronauts Working Without Pay
Tehran - BORNA - As the government shutdown enters its second month, many federal employees have been placed on furlough. However, some continue to work, mostly without immediate pay, because their jobs are deemed vital for the nation's continued operation, such as mail delivery.
As reported by Space magazine, fortunately for the NASA astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS), their health and safety fall under the category of duties essential for the "protection of life and safety," a responsibility NASA is obligated to maintain even when the government is closed.
Similar to all government organizations, NASA has been forced to severely curtail its daily activities, as over 15,000 of its official personnel have been placed on mandatory leave since October 1st.
Essential Operations Continue on the ISS
Per NASA's shutdown guidelines, only personnel whose presence is deemed essential for the protection of life and property are permitted to work. This group includes the astronauts currently in space and the Mission Control technical team on Earth that supports them. Despite the situation, life on the space station continues almost as normal.
The crew of Expedition 73 currently residing on the station has continued to perform scientific research in weightlessness and other experiments as scheduled, as well as carrying out routine maintenance.
Currently, seven astronauts live on the station: three from the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos)—Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Oleg Platonov—and one from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Kimiya Yui. The remaining three are from NASA: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, and Mike Fink.
They perform all their duties like their international counterparts, with the difference being that they are not currently receiving a salary. Like other federal employees forced to work during the shutdown, they will receive their full back pay later.
For example, just last week, Japan's new cargo spacecraft, the HTV-X1, was launched and successfully rendezvoused and docked with the ISS. The three NASA astronauts were present for its arrival and were scheduled to assist in unloading its cargo on Friday (October 31st).
Limited but Continuing Activities
The only things NASA astronauts are not doing currently are updating social media or engaging in public outreach.
In the meantime, Kimiya Yui from Japan has filled their absence, sharing amazing images of Earth over the past month. NASA has also classified the Artemis Program, the mission to return humans to the Moon, as a vital activity, and work on it is therefore continuing.
The program aims to launch the Artemis 2 mission with four astronauts in lunar orbit in February 2026. Despite the continuation of work on Artemis, the prolonged government shutdown could put pressure on NASA's resources and budget, as more employees work without receiving pay. If this trend continues, the February launch date might be pushed back to the March or April timeframe.
Any delay in Artemis 2 could also adversely affect the Artemis 3 mission, which is planned to be the first human landing on the Moon since the Apollo program in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, China is also preparing its own crewed missions to the Moon, and NASA and US lawmakers have repeatedly stressed that winning this new race for lunar conquest is of great importance to the United States.
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