President Trump might be tackling DEI programs here on Earth, but all bets are off when it comes to outer space.

Despite the president’s detailed executive order that compels all federal agencies to end their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, NASA is still pushing a big one.

“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,” a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website says.

“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,” says the site.

Across the federal government, agencies have been scrambling to get rid of their DEI programs, including putting employees charged with managing DEI programs on paid leave. Agencies have been cautioned against simply retitling staff, renaming programs or engaging in other ways to cloak their diversity initiatives. An across the board hiring freeze has completely put the brakes on the Biden Administration’s aggressive DEI hiring programs.

Mr. Trump, who during his first term created the United States Space Force, was president when NASA announced plans to send the first woman to the moon. The Biden Administration – after Joe Biden promised he would pick a black woman for the Supreme Court – added the “first person of color” to the Artemis mission (which is named for the Greek goddess of the moon, hunting and chastity).

Under Mr. Trump’s watch, the Artemis III mission was to send two astronauts to walk on the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. But first, Artemis II is set to fly around the moon without landing as early as April 2026. 

“As the first crewed mission of Artemis, it will add to the list of 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) riding alongside NASA’s commander, Reid Wiseman,” the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Mr. Glover said diversity was a big factor in selecting the crew. “You may hear people say anyone can go to the moon. Dream big. But to see people that look like you do it, there’s a kid out there that has a greater sense of connection because of what somebody on this group may look like or what someone on the next group may look like,” he said in a 2023 interview at Kennedy Space Center.

“I think that that’s important. Inspiration is more than an emotion. It drives decisions and priorities. And so it’s an important factor of this mission,” the astronaut said.

Artemis III is on NASA’s calendar to launch by summer 2027, but no crew has yet been selected.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that “NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity on its website initially last week went to a 404 error page reading, ‘The cosmic object you are looking for has disappeared beyond the event horizon.'” Then even that message disappeared.

After Mr. Trump moved to wipe away DEI programs, acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro sent out a memo using language from the White House, which read, “The programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and results in shameful discrimination.” It also urged employees to report “DEI-related programs and actions” to superiors or face punishment, noting, “we are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language.”

Ms. Petro, who was appointed to her interim role by Trump, was administrator of the Kennedy Space Center. She will make way for the billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman when the Senate approves his nomination.