Trump discourages NASA from mentioning Sunitha as woman of color

NASA has discreetly withdrawn its widely publicized commitment to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, following directives from President Donald Trump to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures across federal bodies.

This landmark goal had been at the heart of NASA’s Artemis program, which intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2027—marking humanity’s first landing since Apollo’s final voyage in 1972. The agency’s website once proudly highlighted plans to send a woman, a person of color, and an international astronaut to the Moon. However, this phrasing has now been stripped.

Confirming the edit, NASA spokesperson Allard Beutel explained the update aligns with the president’s latest executive order. He added that the agency awaits further clarity on the Trump administration’s future expectations for space exploration.

NASA is not alone in complying. Multiple federal entities, including the IRS and National Institutes of Health, have already removed DEI programs, and the US military’s renewed transgender service ban—another Trump directive—faces ongoing legal resistance.

Interestingly, the Artemis program itself was born during Trump’s first term, with diversity originally touted as a historic milestone.

Despite significant efforts in recent years to shed its “old, white men” image, NASA now appears to pivot away from that trajectory. All 12 astronauts who walked the Moon between 1969 and 1972 were white males.

While the Artemis II crew includes female astronaut Christina Koch and African American astronaut Victor Glover, the final Artemis III crew remains undecided.

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