By 2030, the iconic ISS – where the world's astronauts have lived, worked and gazed upon the cosmos for more than two decades – will be no more.

X-59 takes its maiden flight from Lockheed's Skunk Works in Palmdale to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

“Most workers have indicated a willingness to continue the work in the event of contract funding running out prior to the government reopening,” a NASA official told the Ars Technica website. The official noted that Artemis II contracts are only funded through early November.

Despite the ongoing government shutdown, NASA has recently managed to complete a major milestone as part of the organization’s effort to send astronauts back to the moon.

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast. Nearly 4,000 employees, or more than 20% ...

A NASA union claims there's been a total collapse in the information chain connecting the space agency to the US government.