Home See my essay "Costs of U.S. Piloted Programs"
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This graph shows the amount spent by the United States on piloted spaceflight from 1959 to 2015.  It shows the importance of the Apollo program ($100 billions spent over ten years) and of the Space Shuttle ($200 billions over forty years).  At right, the Space Station program ($70 billions spent in thirty years) and the Exploration programs (nearly $50 billions in twelve years).  In all, U.S. spent $486 billions over 57 years, an average of $8.3 billions a year. (All figures in 2010 dollars.)
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Program Period Current 
cost (a)
(millions $)		 End of Pro- 
gram Cost (b)
(millions $)		 Cost in 
2010 $ (c)
(billions $)
Mercury 1959-1963 269 277 1.6
Gemini 1962-1967 1,282 1,342 7.2
Apollo 1959-1973 20,443 29.3 109
Skylab 1966-1974 2,256 2,786 10
Apollo-Soyuz 1972-1975 245 258 1
Space Shuttle 1972-2012 123,031 198,569 199
Space Station: . . . 150
• NASA Funding 1985-2015 58,695 72,102 .
• Shuttle flights 1998-2010 n/a 53,374 126
• Int'l Parthners 1986-2015 . . 24
Exploration Programs 2003-2015 46,208 n/a 48
Total 1959-2015 274,757 n/a 486
a) Adding yearly costs without taking into account inflation. See Tables below.
b) Adding yearly costs taking into account inflation. See Tables below.
c) Adding yearly costs in 2010 $ (rounded). See Tables below.
* See International Space Station Total Cost below.
© Claude Lafleur, Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2010.
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Some Observations
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Program Units (in 2010 $)
Mercury 6 piloted flights $265 millions per flight.
Gemini 10 piloted flights $723 millions per flight.
Apollo 11 piloted flights $9.9 billions per flight.
. 6 lunar landings $18 billions per lunar landing.
Skylab 510 day-person $20.3 millionS per station-day-person.
Apollo-Soyuz NASA Funding $1 billion for the U.S. portion only.
Space Shuttle 134 piloted flights $1.5 billion per flight.
Space Station 20,000 day-person $7.5 millionS per station-day-person.
Exploration Programs ISS Budget 2003-2015 ThIs program expanditures are 1½ time those of  ISS.
Constellation Moon Program Total costs $10 billionS were spent between 2004 and 2009.
Total U.S. spending 57 years $8.3 billions a year.
© Claude Lafleur, Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2010.
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(M$) FY 1959 FY 1960 FY 1961 FY 1962 FY 1963 Total
Current 28.9 87.7 92.4 47.7 12.0 268.7
1965 $ 30.4 91.0 94.8 48.2 12.0 276.5
2010 $ 175 522 544 277 70 1,588
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Source: NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. I: NASA Resources, 1958-1968, Table 4-22 - Research and Development Direct Obligations, by Budget Line Item and Unique Project Number, 143th page.
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(M$) FY 1962 FY 1963 FY 1964 FY 1965 FY 1966 FY 1967 Total
Curent 55.0 287.6 419.2 308.3 163.5 48.0 1,282.2
1967 $ 59.8 306.1 440.7 320.3 167.0 48.0 1,341.9
2010 $ 322 1,649 2,374 1,725 900 259 7,330
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Source: NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. I: NASA Resources, 1958-1968, Table 4-22 - Research and Development Direct Obligations, by Budget Line Item and Unique Project Number, 142th page.
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(M$) FY 1959 FY 1960 FY 1961 FY 1962 FY 1963 FY 1964 FY 1965 FY 1966
Current 10.1 36.1 190.3 446.5 1,160.6 2,225.0 2,708.9 2,971.3
1973 $ 16.5 57.9 301.4 697.3 1,792.3 3,393.8 4,082.7 4,432.3
2010 $ 61 215 1,200 2,589 6,665 12,601 15,160 16,458
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(M$) FY 1967 FY 1968 FY 1969 FY 1970 FY 1971 FY 1972 FY 1973 Total
Current 2,877.9 2,535.2 2,025.0 1,684.4 913.7 601.2 56.7 20,463.1
1973 $ 4,175.4 3,563.0 2,748.2 2,186.4 1,124.4 704.8 63.4 29,339.7
2010 $ 15,504 13,230 10,205 8,118 4,175 2,617 236 109,023
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Sources: NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. I: NASA Resources, 1958-1968, Table 4-22 - Research and Development Direct Obligations, by Budget Line Item and Unique Project Number, 142th page ; NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. III: NASA Resources, 1969-1978, Table 2-3 - Programmed Costs of Manned Spaceflight Programs.
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(M$) FY 1966 FT 1967 FY 1968 FY 1969 FY 1970 FY 1971 FY 1972 FY 1973 FY 1974 Total
Current 51.2 83.4 126.2 217.0 308.8 405.2 538.5 502.0 23.3 2,225.6
1975 $ 75.9 121.0 177.4 294.5 400.8 498.6 631.3 561.7 25.0 2,786.1
2010 $ 282 449 659 1,094 1,488 1,851 2,344 2,086 93 10,345
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Source: Skylab: A Chronology, Appendix 9 - Funding.
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(M$) FY 1972 FY 1973 FY 1974 FY 1975 Total
Current 6.9 38.5 90.0 109.6 245.0
1975 $ 9.0 46.1 96.5 109.6 258.1
2010 $ 32 160 358 407 957
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Source: NASA Historical Data Book: Volume III; Table 2-12 - Apollo Soyuz Test Project Funding History.
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(M$) FY 1972 FY 1973 FY 1974 FY 1975 FY 1976 FY 1977 FY 1978 FY 1979 FY 1980
Current 100.0 198.6 475.0 797.5 1,206.0 1,412.1 1,349.2 1,936.2 2,332.6
2010 $ 435 825 1,891 2,961 4,056 4,749 4,430 4,102 5,651
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(M$) FY 1981 FY 1982 FY 1983 FY 1984 FY 1985 FY 1986 FY 1987 FY 1988 FY 1989
Current 2,556.7 3,092,9 3,170.0 3,379.4 3,165.0 3,160.8 5,488.9 3,636.2 4,158.5
2010 $ 6,377 6,469 7,196 6,716 6,701 6,012 5,788 6,189 7,028
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(M$) FY 1990 FY 1991 FY 1992 FY 1993 FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998
Current 4,646.3 4,958.9 5,354.3 5,449.7 4,977.3 3,309.0 3,178.8 3,150.9 2,977.8
2010 $ 7,611 7,818 8,140 7,984 7,113 4,623 3,350 4,222 3,914
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(MS) FY 1999 FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
Current 2,998.3 2,979.5 3,118.8 3,270.0 3,208.0 3,945.0 4,543.0 4,777.5 4.107.6
2010 $ 3,874 3,803 3,931 4,038 3,870 4,671 5,273 5,947 4,502
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(MS) FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 Total
Current 3,266.7 2,979.5 3,101.4 1,609.7 664.9 79,9 124,276.7
2010 $ 3,466 3,069 3,101 1,640 690 85 199,879 $1,480 millions/flight

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Note: In 2010, it was decided to add a 135th flight to the Space Shuttle program (which was supposed to end after 134 flights). This new flight adds $1,243 billion to the program, thus confirming the $1,5 billion per flight average.  That is to say that each new flight would had add $1,2 billion in direct additional fee.)

Sources : NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. III: NASA Resources, 1969-1978, Table 2-3 - Programmed Costs of Manned Spaceflight Programs ; NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. V: NASA Resources, 1979-1988, Table 3–1 - Total Human Spaceflight Funding History, 151-152th pages ; NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. VII: NASA Resources, 1989-1998, Table 2–1 - Authorized/Appropriated Budget (FY 1989–FY 1998), 73th page ; NASA Budgets Documents, FY 1997 to FY 2010.
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(MS) FY 1985 FY 1986 FY 1987 FY 1988 FY 1989 FY 1990 FY 1991 FY 1992
Current 155.5 184.7 420.0 489.5 900.0 1,749.6 1,900.0 2,029.0
2010 $ 295.3 338.2 745.0 848.6 1,521.0 2,865.9 2,995.3 3,084.6
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(MS) FY 1993 FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998 FY 1999 FY 2000
Current 2,162.0 1,939.2 1,889.6 2,143.6 2,148.6 2,351,3 2.304.7 2,323.1
2010 $ 3,137.6 2,771.2 2,640.2 2,933.6 2,878.9 3,090.7 2,978.1 2,964.9
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(MS) FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008
Current 2,112.9 1,721.7 1,492.1 1,498.0 1,676.3 1,753.4 1,762.6 1,813.2
2010 $ 2,663.0 2,126.1 1,799.8 1,773.6 1,946.6 1,983.0 1,931.7 1,923.6
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(MS) FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Total
Current 2,060.2 2,317.0 2,779.8 2,983.6 3,129.4 3,221.8 3,182.8 58,695
2010 $ 2,060.0 3,317.0 2,779.8 2,983.6 3,129.4 3,221.8 3,182.8 72,400
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Sources: NASA Historical Data Book, Vol.V: NASA Resources, 1979-1988, Table 3–1 - Total Human Spaceflight Funding History (in thousands of dollars, 151th page; NASA Historical Data Book, Vol.VII: NASA Resources, 1989-1998, Table 3–3 - Programmed Budget (FY 1989–1998), 141th page; NASA Budget Information, FY 1997 to FY 2010.
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Space Station Total Costs
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(B$) NASA
Funding		 Shuttle
flights*		 U.S.
Total		 Russia
(est.)		 Europe
(est.)		 Japan
(est.)		 Canada
(est.)		 Total
2010 $ 72 54 126 12 5 5 2 150
Percent 84.0% 8.0% 3.3% 3.3% 1.3% 100%
* Shuttle flights = 36 missions toward ISS at $1.5 billions each.
© Claude Lafleur, Spacecraft Encyclopedia, 2010.

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(M$) FY 2004 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 Subtotal
Current % 1,214.5 1,646.0 2,684.5 3,050.1 2,869.8 3,399.4 3,900.5 18,669.8
• Advanced R&D 1,214.5 1,646.0 2,860.5
• Constellation 526.0 1,733.5 2,114.7 2,675.9 3,033.1 10,083.2
• Exploration Systems Research 722.8 692.5 1,415.3
• Prometheus Nuclear System 431.7 431.7
• Human System Research 1003.9 624.1 1,628.0
• Advanced Capabilities 755.1 623.5 472.3 1,850.9
In 2010 $ 1,465.0 1,948.8 3,115.7 3,449.4 3,145.0 3,500.0 4,022.7 20,646.9
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(M$) FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Subtotal Total
Current 3779.8 4,263.4 4,577.4 4,178.9 4,923.3 5,179.3 27,442.1 46,111.9
In 2010 $ 3779.8 4,263.4 4,577.4 4,178.9 4,923.3 5,179.3 27,442.1 48,089.0
Note: no budgetary details were provided for FY 2010-FY2015 Exploration progrtams.
Source: NASA Budgets Documents, FY 2004 to FY 2010.
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(M$) FY 1959 FY 1960 FY 1961 FY 1962 FY 1963 FY 1964 FY 1965 FY 1966 FY 1967 FY 1968
Current $ 39.5 125.3 286.0 556.3 1,477.4 2,675.5 3,052.7 3,187.1 3,012.8 2,703.7
• Mercury 28.9 87.7 92.4 47.7 12.0
• Gemini 55.0 287.6 419.2 308.3 163.5 48.0
• Apollo 10.1 36.1 190.3 446.5 1,160.6 2,225.0 2,708.9 2,971.3 2,877.9 2,535.2
• Skylab 51.2 83.4 126.2
• Other 0.5 1.5 3.3 6.5 17.2 31.1 35.5 1,7 3.5 42.3
In 2010 $ 239 746 1,682 3,226 8,47 15,152 17,084 17,538 16,231 14,109
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(M$) FY 1969 FY 1970 FY 1971 FY 1972 FY 1973 FY 1974 FY 1975 FY 1976 FY 1977 FY 1978
Current 2,177.0 2,030.9 1,421.7 1,275.6 1,326.1 1,153.2 1,221.8 1,965.5 1,741.5 1,749.1
• Apollo 2,025.0 1,684.4 913.7 601.2 56.7
• Skylab 217.0 308.8 405.2 538.5 502.0 23.3
• ASTP 6.9 38.5 90.0 109.6
• Shuttle 100.0 198.6 475.0 797.5 1,206.0 1,412.1 1,349.2
• Other -65.0 37.7 102.8 29.0 530.3 564.9 314.7 759.5 329.4 399.9
In 2010 $ 11,298 9,788 6,496 5,552 5,509 4,590 4,537 6,610 5,453 5,318
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(M$) FY 1979 FY 1980 FY 1981 FY 1982 FY 1983 FY 1984 FY 1985 FY 1986 FY 1987 FY 1988
Current 2,011.6 2,681.1 2,728.6 3,089.9 3,560.3 4,204.0 3,985.6 4,069.8 6,490.6 4,399.1
• Shuttle 1,936.2 2,332.6 2,556.7 3,092,9 3,170.0 3,379.4 3,166.0 3,160.8 5,488.9* 3,636.2
• Station 155.5 184.7 420.0 489.5
• Other 75.4 363.6 171.9 -3.0 390.3 824.6 664.1 724.3 581.7 273.4
In 2010 $ 5,871 7,330 6,904 7,196 7,543 8,338 7,569 7,452 11,513 7,626
 
* Included some $2 billion to replace the Challenger Orbiter (losted in Janyary 1986) by Endeavour.
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(M$) FY 1989 FY 1990 FY 1991 FY 1992 FY 1993 FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998
Current 5,302.1 6,697.8 7,251.3 7,691.0 8,011.6 7,509.3 5,573.9 5,456.6 5,362.9 5,679.5
• Shuttle 4,158.5 4,646.3 4,958.9 5,354.4 5,449.7 4,977.3 3,309.0 3,178.8 3,150.9 2,977.8
• Station 900.0 1,749.6 1,900.0 2,029.0 2,162.0 1,939.2 1,889.6 2,143.6 2,148.6 2,351,3
• Other 243.6 301.9 392.4 307.6 399.9 592.8 375.2 134.0 63.4 350.4
In 2010 $ 8,961 10,971 11,432 11,692 11,738 10,731 7,788 7,468 7,186 7,465
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(M$) FY 1999 FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
Current 5,303.0 5,467.7 5,450.9 6,031.1 7,960.0 7,521.0 9,368.8 9,919.8 9,069.2
• Shuttle 2,998.3 2,979.5 3,118.8 3,272.8 3,208.0 3,945.0 4,543.0 4,777.5 4.107.6
• Station 2.304.7 2,323.1 2,112.9 1,721.7 1,492.1 1,498.0 1,676.3 1,753.4 1,762.6
• Exploration 1,829.0 1,646.0 2,684.5 3,050.1 2,869.8
• Other 0.0 165.1 219.2 1,038.4* 1,430.9* 432.0 465.0 338.8 329.2
In 2010 $ 6,852 6,978 6,870 7,447 9,602 8,905 10,874 11,219 9,939
*  FY 2002 Other included some of the $1,214 millions for "Investments and Support", and FY 2003 Other Included $1,192 million as "institutional" and $239 millions fundings. 
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(M$) FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Total
Current 8,669.3 9,665.2 10,143.7 9,151.3 8,867.7 8,432.2 9,285.8 9,409.8 274,757.0
• Shuttle 3,266.7 2,979.5 3,139.4 989.1 86.1 123,031.0
• Station 1,813.2 2,060.2 2,317.0 2,779.8 2,983.6 3,129.4 3,221.8 3,282.8 58,695.0
• Exploration 3,143.1 3,900.5 3,965.1 4,263.4 4,577.4 4,178.9 4,923.3 5,179.3 46,208.4
• Other 446.3 725.0 724.2 1,119.0 1,220.6 1,123.9 1,410.7 974.7 22,259.8
In 2010 $ 9,197 9,955 10,144 9,151 8,868 8,432 9,286 9,410 485,539.4

Source: NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. I: NASA Resources, 1958-1968, Table 4-22. Research and Development Direct Obligations, by Budget line Item and Unique Project Number, 143th page ; Table 4-27- Amounts Programmed for Research and Development, by Program Office Area, 154th page: NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. IV: NASA Resources, 1969-1978, Table 4-21. Research and Development Appropriation by Program; NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. V: Table 8–12. Research and Development Funding by Program & Table 8–13. Space Flight Control and Data Communications Funding, 24 & 27 pages.NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. VII: 1989-1998,Table 3–2. Authorized/Appropriated Budget (FY 1989–FY 1998), 136th page..

 
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© Claude Lafleur, 2004-10 Mes sites web: claudelafleur.qc.ca