The financial crash landing of a joyful Artemis II in an age of cynicism
I am a space geek, and the exploration of it excites me deeply.
I thought the crew of Artemis II were incredible ambassadors for us as a species at our best — a reminder of what we can achieve when we work together.
Which is why the vast cuts to NASA make no sense.
Jubilant return of Artemis II shadowed by ‘extinction-level’ cuts to NASA: ‘It’s discordant’
Even as a triumphant Moon flyby primes the agency for a 2028 landing, Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts cast a pall over the US space programme.
Even as Integrity — the mission moniker for the Orion capsule of Artemis II — ascended into the heavens days ago, Trump was announcing his intention to slash NASA’s budget by 23%, including a 46% cut to space science initiatives.
And the Artemis programme, which has already run years behind schedule and billions over budget, offers no guarantees that the next — far harder — stages will run as smoothly.
But here’s the part that should stick in your throat.
He handed over $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to the mega-wealthy, is pushing military spending up towards $1.5 trillion — yet wants to slash $6 billion from NASA at the very moment it is doing more to project American values than he ever could.
Because that’s what Artemis II actually represents.
Not just rockets and engineering brilliance — but cooperation, ambition, curiosity. A version of humanity that still believes in progress.
And that’s what makes this feel so discordant.
In an age already thick with cynicism, where politics feels smaller, meaner, and more transactional, Artemis II was a rare glimpse of something bigger.
The financial crash landing of a joyful Artemis II in an age of cynicism isn’t just about budgets.
It’s about what we’ve decided matters.
