Depending on where you stand on SLS, Boeing’s potential layoffs are either a worrying or welcome sign of where NASA’s massive rocket stands after just one trip to the Moon. Artemis NASA SLS ...

NASA has long said it plans to use the SLS rocket to power 10 or more Artemis missions, which will aim to return humans to the moon’s surface as well as set up a permanent lunar outpost.

Boeing Co. managed to preserve half of the 400 jobs it previously considered eliminating at its moon-rocket program following talks with NASA, potentially pointing to greater certainty over future funding despite concerns over a potential shake-up by Donald Trump.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, has advocated for a Mars-first strategy and has previously called planned missions to the Moon a “distraction."