NASA appears to have backtracked on its publicly stated commitment to land the first woman and person of color on the Moon during the Artemis 3 mission, planned for 2027. References to this historical milestone have been removed from the agency’s websites, raising questions about the future of diversity and inclusion in the Artemis program.
The Orlando Sentinel first reported this change on March 21, 2025. Previously, NASA’s website proudly declared its intention to “land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” This statement has since disappeared.
This shift aligns with actions taken by NASA following President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting diversity and inclusion initiatives within federal agencies. Shortly after Trump took office, NASA closed offices related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and terminated associated contracts. Subsequently, employees were instructed to remove references to DEIA programs, underrepresented groups, environmental justice, and initiatives focused on women from agency websites. Even displaying pronouns in email signatures or on platforms like Microsoft Teams is now prohibited.
These measures contradict NASA’s previous emphasis on diversifying astronaut crews. In 2023, NASA announced the four astronauts selected for the Artemis 2 mission. The crew included Victor Glover, the first Black astronaut to reside long-term on the International Space Station (ISS) during the SpaceX Crew-1 mission in 2021, and Christina Koch, who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, accumulating 328 days on the ISS. Koch also participated in the first all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir in 2019.
NASA’s initial vision for Artemis represented a departure from the Apollo era, aiming for a more inclusive lunar presence. The removal of the diversity commitment for Artemis 3, however, casts uncertainty on whether this vision will be realized.
