NASA responded to news that Boeing aims to lay off up to 400 workers from its Space Launch System program. The SLS rocket plays a key role in the Artemis moon program, the agency said.

Boeing informed its Space Launch System (SLS) team of potential layoffs, a worrying sign that NASA’s Moon rocket may be at risk after massive cost overruns and schedule delays. And also Trump.

Boeing informed its employees working on NASA's Artemis program that it was preparing for as many as 400 layoffs connected to the giant rocket under development amid possible shakeups to the country's return-to-the-moon initiative, the company said.

Boeing has notified employees of possible layoffs due to potential changes in NASA’s Artemis program, a flagship initiative to extend human and commercial space operations from low Earth orbit into cislunar space and the Moon’s surface.

Boeing makes the Core Stage for the rocket, but SLS development has been slow and hit by frequent delays. It is also a costly way to get beyond Earth's orbit, but is the only way to send astronauts to the Moon for now. Aside from the Orion capsule on the top of the stack, it is also entirely expendable, unlike SpaceX's Starship.

The development of the SLS rocket took too long and was too expensive. A reduced NASA budget could mean the end - and the loss of many jobs.

Boeing told employees in its SLS moon rocket program on Saturday that it plans to make around 400 layoffs as NASA's Artemis program suffers delays and cost revisions.