NASA, an independent agency of the U.S. government, will no longer be upholding DEI efforts.
In a press release, NASA shared its plans to comply with executive order “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” which President Donald Trump issued when he was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025. The order revoked Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government). It also revoked Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023, which further advanced those initiatives, according to the White House.
As a result of the recent order, federal agencies are now adhering to guidelines to dismantle diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts. Looking to set an example, the Trump administration placed its federal DEI employees on paid leave as “the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs,” as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) will be moving forward with several actions such as ending its Inclusion Plan Pilot Study and requirements for Inclusion Plans, as well as updating content for programs to remove references to NASA’s DEIA programs. Already a link to its DEI-related program has been removed, Orlando Sentinel reports.
NASA affirmed its focus on unity.
“Federal merit system principles emphasize that the Federal Government should strive to build a workforce reflective of all segments of society. At NASA, we are committed to recruiting and hiring the most talented individuals from all backgrounds and life experiences, representative of our nation’s population,” a statement on its career page reads.
In the midst of NASA’s updated positioning, it has doubled down on its goal of landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon as part of its Artemis campaign.
“With NASA’s Artemis campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars,” NASA said on its website. “We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. NASA will 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.”
The Artemis II crew is planning to fly around the moon but not land as early as April 2026. The campaign’s first manned crew is anticipated to include as moon travelers, the first woman, NASA astronaut Christina Koch; first person of color, NASA astronaut Victor Glover; and first international partner, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, with NASA commander Reid Wiseman, according to Orlando Sentinel.
