NASA Engineer Tests Positive For COVID-19, Suspends Moon Mission

NASA on Friday released a statement confirming that an engineer from its rocket production and testing centers in Stennis Space Center tested positive for COVID-19.

The confirmation came soon after the space agency reported that it would move to “Stage 4” of the NASA Response Framework starting from Friday.

The “Stage 4” protocol includes closing down facilities, suspending travels, working remotely and conducting virtual meetings.

Following the framework, NASA will temporarily shut down two of its rocket testing and production centers in the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the nearby Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The shutdown was following the increase in the number of positive cases in the area.

“NASA will temporarily suspend production and testing of Space Launch System and Orion hardware. The NASA and contractors teams will complete an orderly shutdown that puts all hardware in a safe condition until work can resume. Once this is complete, personnel allowed on site will be limited to those needed to protect life and critical infrastructure," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement released on Thursday.

As a result, work on developing the Orion spacecraft – designed to bring American astronauts to the Moon by 2024 – will also be suspended causing a delay to NASA's Artemis moon program.

Bridenstine added, “We realize there will be impacts to NASA missions, but as our teams work to analyze the full picture and reduce risks we understand that our top priority is the health and safety of the NASA workforce."

Currently, all previously approved projects are on hold and access to both facilities will be limited to skeleton crews, the bare minimum needed to keep the high-tech facilities secure, until further notice.

NASA shut its Ames Research Center in California under a Stage 4 order after another employee tested positive for Covid-19 last week.