NASA statistics show the scale of a space agency that combines human exploration, robotic missions, Earth observation, astrophysics, aeronautics, and science education. The figures below focus mainly on NASA’s FY 2024 budget request and agency descriptions, while historical mission dates and future arrival dates are identified separately.
Contents
- FY 2024 budget at a glance
- Moon, Mars, and human exploration
- Science programs and mission activity
- Space technology and aeronautics
- NASA’s organization and workforce
- Mission timelines and distance
FY 2024 budget at a glance
The NASA FY 2024 Agency Fact Sheet reports a total budget request of $27.2 billion. That request was 7.1% higher than FY 2023 enacted funding. Because these are requested amounts, they describe NASA’s proposed FY 2024 allocation rather than a claim about final enacted spending.
The agency’s broad request categories included $8.125 billion for Moon to Mars exploration, $3.8 billion for workforce and infrastructure, $2.5 billion for Earth science and observations, and $1.4 billion for space technology research and development. NASA also requested more than $500 million for Aeronautics and $158 million for the Office of STEM Engagement.
Several other portfolio-level requests were reported as follows:
| Program or activity | FY 2024 request |
|---|---|
| Planetary Science | $3.383 billion |
| Earth Science | $2.473 billion |
| Astrophysics | $1.557 billion |
| Heliophysics | $751 million |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | $97 million |
| ISS operations and research | $1.303 billion |
| Space and Flight Support | $1.047 billion |
| Space Transportation | $1.957 billion |
These categories illustrate how NASA’s request spans both research and operations. The science divisions alone cover planetary environments, Earth systems, the universe beyond the solar system, the Sun and space weather, and biological and physical research in space. The source labels for these figures are the NASA FY 2024 Agency Fact Sheet.
Moon, Mars, and human exploration
The FY 2024 request divided human exploration into several development lines. Common Exploration Systems Development was listed at $4.525 billion. Within that portfolio, NASA requested $1.225 billion for Orion, $2.506 billion for the Space Launch System, and $794 million for Exploration Ground Systems.
Artemis Campaign Development was listed at $3.235 billion. Its components included $1.881 billion for the Human Landing System, $914 million for Gateway, $380 million for space suits and lunar rovers, and $60 million for Advanced Cislunar and Surface Capabilities. These figures describe requested program funding for FY 2024; they do not state that each program had completed development or achieved a particular mission milestone.
The same agency fact sheet listed $162 million for Mars Campaign Development and $49 million for Human Exploration Requirements and Architecture. NASA requested $459 million for lunar science missions, $949 million for Mars Sample Return, and $269 million for other Mars exploration.
Commercial and long-term infrastructure also appeared in the request. NASA listed $228 million for commercial space stations, while Commercial LEO Development was also listed at $228 million. The fact sheet listed $180 million for a U.S. deorbit vehicle. The repeated $228 million figure refers to the two supplied labels and is retained as reported rather than treated as a combined amount.
Science programs and mission activity
NASA’s FY 2024 Agency Fact Sheet said that its science portfolio supported more than 120 science missions. Of those, 56 were preparing for launch and approximately 70 were in operation. These counts are rounded or qualified in the source, so they should not be added as an exact total or interpreted as a complete accounting of every NASA spacecraft.
The portfolio also supported 10,000 U.S. scientists and included more than 4,000 openly competed research awards in FY 2024. Those measures describe the scale of scientific participation and awards, not the number of NASA employees or the number of missions alone.
The reported FY 2024 science requests were:
- Planetary Science: $3.383 billion.
- Earth Science: $2.473 billion.
- Astrophysics: $1.557 billion.
- Heliophysics: $751 million.
- Biological and Physical Sciences: $97 million.
Earth Science was also described within the broader request as $2.5 billion for Earth science and observations. The two figures use different supplied labels, so they are not combined or presented as a mathematical discrepancy. The more specific program line is $2.473 billion for Earth Science, while the broader description is $2.5 billion for Earth science and observations.
NASA’s supplied mission information also identifies Hubble as beginning its mission in 1990. On the referenced NASA Missions page, Hubble is described as 35 years old. That age is tied to the referenced page’s measurement context rather than presented as a timeless statistic.
Space technology and aeronautics
NASA requested $551 million for Technology Demonstration, $402 million for Technology Maturation, and $138 million for Early-Stage Innovation and Partnerships in FY 2024. The request also included $300 million for SBIR/STTR. Together, these lines represent different stages of technology development and partnerships, but the supplied figures do not support a total without deciding how the categories should be grouped.
The fact sheet listed $3.369 billion for SSMS and $454 million for CECR. These abbreviations are retained because the supplied source labels use them without expanding them in the available facts. NASA also requested $228 million for Commercial LEO Development, as noted in the exploration section.
Aeronautics Research was listed at $996 million. Its reported subcategories were $295 million for Advanced Air Vehicles, $265 million for Integrated Aviation Systems, $159 million for Airspace Operations and Safety, $160 million for Transformative Aero Concepts, and $117 million for Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities.
The same source separately described more than $500 million for Aeronautics. That rounded, broader statement and the $996 million Aeronautics Research line have different labels and are therefore reported separately. NASA also listed $158 million for STEM Engagement; the supplied facts use both “Office of STEM Engagement” and “STEM Engagement” for that amount.
NASA’s organization and workforce
According to About NASA, the agency has 20 centers and facilities across the country and has operated for more than 65 years. NASA Organization describes the agency as comprising just under 18,000 civil servants. “Just under” is a qualified figure, not an exact headcount.
The leadership structure in the supplied agency descriptions includes 10 center directors led by the associate administrator. The deputy associate administrator oversees NASA’s 10 field centers. These counts describe the organizational structure in the referenced About NASA and NASA Organization materials, not the total number of offices, laboratories, or facilities.
The workforce statistic and the science-participation statistic measure different populations. NASA’s just-under-18,000 figure refers to civil servants, while the 10,000 figure refers to U.S. scientists supported through the science portfolio. Neither number should be used as a combined employee total.
Mission timelines and distance
NASA Missions reports that Project Mercury’s manned flights spanned two years, from May 1961 to May 1963, and comprised six missions. The dates describe the Mercury flight period, while the six-mission count describes the missions included in that period.
The same mission material says Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles to reach Jupiter in April 2030. April 2030 is a future arrival date in the supplied description, so it should be read as a planned or projected mission milestone rather than a completed event. The 1.8-billion-mile distance is the stated travel distance to Jupiter.
NASA Missions also identifies Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 as the only spacecraft ever to operate outside the heliosphere. This is a categorical mission-status statement rather than a count of all spacecraft NASA has launched. It distinguishes the two Voyager spacecraft from the agency’s broader science portfolio, which includes more than 120 missions in the FY 2024 description.
Together, these statistics show NASA across several measurement types: requested dollars for a single fiscal year, qualified counts of missions and people, organizational counts, historical mission durations, and a future travel milestone. Keeping the fiscal year, source label, geography, and time context attached to each figure is essential when comparing them.