Space Industry Roars Amid Shutdown Drama: NASA Halts Ops as ESA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, China Make Headlines
Key Facts: In-Depth Report: NASA and U.S. Space Policy: Shutdown Halts Many Operations On Oct. 1, 2025, the U.S. government lapsed into a funding shutdown as federal appropriations ran out. All NASA civil servants (about 15,000 employees) were furloughed, and many agency offices and web services went offline. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate warned that proposal deadlines and solicitations would be set to “TBD” until funding is restored. SpaceFlight Now reports NASA officials immediately rebutted a critical Senate report – one claiming the agency was “illegally” relying on an unapproved budget blueprint – calling those allegations false. In practice, NASA says