NASA rewrites Moon mission goals in quiet DEI retreat

The purge of DEI language from US federal websites has claimed another victim. This time, it is NASA’s pledge to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon as part of the Artemis program.

Artemis III is planned to be the first mission to put boots on the lunar surface in more than half a century, and the original goal, set during the first Trump presidency, was for the mission to include a woman. This was later extended to include the first person of color.

Now, however, it’s all about humans with text that might fall foul of the US administration’s avowed intent to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at federal agencies scrubbed. British journalist Oliver Morton first noted the change.

Goodness knows what the administration would make of Artemis being named after an ancient Greek goddess.

According to The Guardian, a NASA spokesperson said: “In keeping with the president’s executive order, we’re updating our language regarding plans to send crew to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. We look forward to learning more from [and] about the Trump administration’s plans for our agency and expanding exploration at the Moon and Mars for the benefit of all.”

The Artemis III crew is yet to be announced, and the removal of the text does not necessarily mean the space agency will not include a person of color when the mission finally gets off the launchpad, hopefully swerving an homage to Gil Scott-Heron’s poem “Whitey on the Moon”.

However, removing the language signposting equality efforts is one of the more visible consequences of the US administration’s DEI purge.

The change should not affect the Artemis II crew, currently scheduled to launch on a mission around the Moon in 2026. The crew will consist of three NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch. Jeremy Hansen, from the Canadian Space Agency, is the fourth astronaut on the mission.

However, considering the Trump administration’s antipathy toward Canada, there will be a question-mark over Hansen remaining on the crew since the text’s deletion raises questions about the US space agency’s ability to remain above political squabbling.

The antics of the US administration have also had the unexpected consequence of giving European satellite provider Eutelsat a shot in the arm as foreign powers reconsider the use of services such as Starlink. The space community will be focusing on the first test flight of Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum launcher from Norway. While European commercial launchers will take some time to come anywhere near SpaceX’s cadence, the need for alternatives to US launch providers has become acute.

A space agency source likened dealing with NASA, Trump, and Musk to a relationship where one’s other half might “lash out at any moment in unpredictable ways.” They said their agency was “giving them loads of obedience in advance in the hope of keeping them happy.”

This latest piece of policy implementation could be the moment at which space agencies worldwide suddenly start growing backbones. ®