Top 10: What are the top 10 most expensive space missions?
One small step for man, one big dig into humanity’s pocket.
Space Shuttle Program
Date: 1981-2011
Cost: $199bn
International Space Station
Date: 1998-2020
Cost: $160bn (estimated)
Apollo Space Program
Date: 1961-1972
Cost: $109bn
SLS and Orion
(NASA’s replacement manned rocket and capsule)
Date: 2014-2018
Cost: $23bn (estimated)
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Date: 1978-present
Cost: $12bn
Date: 1990-present
Cost: $10bn
Salyut 6
Date: 1977-1982
Cost: $9bn
James Webb Space Telescope
Date: Scheduled for 2018
Cost: $8.8bn (estimated)
Galileo
(Europe’s GPS)
Date: 2016
Cost: $6.3bn (estimated)
GLONASS
(Russia’s GPS)
Date: 1982-present
Cost: $4.7bn
*(Figures in billions of US dollars, adjusted for inflation)
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