On CBS News with Major Garrett, Laurie A. Watkins breaks down growing concerns surrounding the Artemis program, a moon initiative that has launched just once in two decades while relying on aging technology.
At the State of the Union, four Artemis astronauts sat in the chamber, yet the mission went unmentioned as the administration highlighted Space Force instead. With a single landing projected to cost taxpayers $4.1B, the central question: why is NASA leaning on decades-old systems when commercial space innovation is moving faster and cheaper?
Watkins argues this isn’t efficiency — it’s bloat, and calls for Congress to bring Administrator Jared Isaacman in for oversight on delays, costs, and technology choices.
She also notes that in 2017, Donald Trump shifted the long-term focus toward Mars, reigniting debate over whether the moon program is the right priority at all.