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Trump administration grounds Artemis Program beyond Artemis III in budget proposal

Published  May 2, 2025 11:26pm EDT
Brevard County
FOX 35 Orlando

President Trump's budget proposes major NASA cuts

President Donald Trump is grounding the Artemis program. According to NASA's proposed budget for 2026, Artemis III, which involves landing on the moon, will be the last mission. The Trump administration proposes a budget of $18.8 billion for NASA, down 24% from $24.8 billion in the current budget year.

The Brief

    • President Trump's 2026 NASA budget proposal ends the Artemis program after Artemis III.
    • NASA would shift from costly SLS rockets to more efficient commercial systems.
    • Florida’s Space Coast faces job uncertainty as key lunar programs wind down.

ORLANDO, Fla. - President Donald Trump is grounding the Artemis program. According to NASA's proposed budget for 2026, Artemis III, which involves landing on the moon, will be the last mission. 

Future moon missions would be commercially developed 

What we know:

President Trump’s proposed NASA budget for 2026 signals the end of the Artemis program after its third mission, Artemis III — the one planned to return astronauts to the lunar surface. 

While NASA isn’t stepping away from the moon entirely, future missions would no longer use the expensive Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft, which are central to Artemis. Instead, the plan pivots to commercially developed systems aimed at reducing costs. The SLS, alone, costs about $4 billion per launch and is running roughly 140% over budget.

What we don't know:

It’s unclear which commercial spaceflight companies would be tapped to replace SLS and Orion, or how NASA’s transition will affect mission schedules, safety standards, and long-term goals like lunar habitation or deep space exploration. The proposal’s impact on ongoing international collaborations, including commitments to the Gateway lunar space station and the Mars Sample Return mission, also remains uncertain.

The backstory:

The Artemis program was launched under the Trump administration with the goal of returning humans to the Moon, including the first woman and person of color. However, spiraling costs and delays have plagued the project. 

The shift in focus toward commercial partners echoes broader trends in space policy, such as the increasing reliance on companies like SpaceX for cargo and crew missions to the ISS.

Local perspective:

For Florida’s Space Coast, the move could be reminiscent of the space shuttle retirement in 2011, which led to job losses and industry contraction in the region. Many engineers and contractors currently supporting SLS and Orion at Kennedy Space Center may now face uncertain futures.

Timeline:

Under the proposed budget, Artemis III would be the final Artemis mission, with no government-funded successors using SLS or Orion. NASA’s broader commitments, including the Gateway lunar space station and the Mars Sample Return mission, would also be scaled back. The International Space Station is still scheduled for deorbiting by 2030. However, $1 billion would be reallocated to new Mars-focused initiatives, with the long-term goal of placing a human on Mars — and beating China back to the Moon.

What they're saying:

Dr. Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech, highlighted the uncertain future for workers.

"We’re sort of like in the situation when we knew the space shuttle was ending," he said"If the SLS program, the Artemis and Orion programs are all ending after one launch after this next upcoming one, then clearly there’s people that are going to have to find other opportunities—hopefully in the space industry and hopefully here in Florida."

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Trump administration, NASA, and Dr. Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech.

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