NASA · Budget reference
NASA budget and research funding
Annual funding, the next budget request, and five decades of NASA history, with research and development clearly identified.
How much funding does NASA get?
NASA received $24.44 billion in regular annual appropriations for fiscal year 2026. This covers the agency as a whole, including science missions, human spaceflight, aeronautics, and operations.
Regular annual appropriations · Nominal dollars
- FY 2025 Enacted
- $24.84 billion
- FY 2026 Enacted
- $24.44 billion
- FY 2027 White House request
- $18.83 billion
That is 1.6% lower than FY 2025 in nominal dollars, before adjusting for inflation.
The White House requested $18.83 billion for FY 2027, 23.0% lower than FY 2026 enacted. The request is a proposal, not an enacted budget.
These are regular annual budget authority figures, the amount available to commit to programs. They are not cash spent during the year and do not include separate multi-year mandatory funding. NASA reports that funding on its own schedule; adding it to this annual series would mix different measures.
AAAS FY 2026 enacted tracker · Data as of 2026-05-06
AAAS FY 2027 request tracker · Data as of 2026-07-14
NASA’s FY 2027 budget document, annual totals on BUD-1 and separate multi-year funding on BUD-6.
AAAS estimates $10.96 billion of NASA’s FY 2026 enacted funding as research and development (R&D). That is a subset of the agency budget.
The Science account is $7.25 billion in FY 2026. It funds Earth science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, but it is not the same measure as all NASA R&D. These figures overlap and should not be added together.
Follow the budget through Congress →The history chart uses an AAAS snapshot dated 2025-10-23. Its FY 2026 endpoint is a request-era estimate, not the enacted figure above. The nominal and inflation-adjusted lines describe the total agency budget; the share-of-GDP view measures R&D only.
The historical dollar chart shows NASA’s total agency budget, including science missions, human spaceflight, aeronautics, and technology development. The series opens in 1975, just after Apollo wound down, with the agency at $3.3 billion in the dollars of the day (about $12.2 billion in 2017 dollars).
The climb through the late 1980s reflects the rebuilding years after the 1986 Challenger accident, including funding for a replacement shuttle orbiter, and the start of the space station program. That push carried the budget to its highest inflation-adjusted level in this post-1975 series in 1992, at about $22.8 billion in 2017 dollars. What followed is the striking part: from the mid-1990s through 2025, the budget held between about $17 billion and $21 billion in 2017 dollars each year, through shuttle retirement, the rise of commercial spaceflight, and the start of Artemis.
Fig. 1 · Budget history
Within this series, which begins in 1975, NASA’s inflation-adjusted budget peaked in 1992.
The NASA total agency budget, every fiscal year on record.
- 1987Post-Challenger rebuilding. Funding jumps in the year after the Challenger accident, including money toward a replacement orbiter.
- 1992Shuttle–station era peak. The highest inflation-adjusted level in this series, which starts in 1975: about $22.8 billion in 2017 dollars during the space station buildup.
- 2013Sequestration. Budget caps produce the deepest dip of NASA's flat modern era.
The numbers behind this figure
| Fiscal year | Nominal dollars | Constant 2017 dollars | R&D share of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 3,267 | 12,157 | — |
| 1976 | 3,669 | 12,766 | 0.2% |
| 1977 | 3,846 | 12,479 | 0.19% |
| 1978 | 4,063 | 12,355 | 0.18% |
| 1979 | 4,559 | 12,824 | 0.18% |
| 1980 | 5,243 | 13,566 | 0.19% |
| 1981 | 5,522 | 13,012 | 0.18% |
| 1982 | 5,981 | 13,178 | 0.14% |
| 1983 | 6,809 | 14,374 | 0.077% |
| 1984 | 7,231 | 14,735 | 0.076% |
| 1985 | 7,551 | 14,890 | 0.084% |
| 1986 | 7,764 | 14,974 | 0.082% |
| 1987 | 10,875 | 20,515 | 0.091% |
| 1988 | 9,002 | 16,447 | 0.091% |
| 1989 | 10,969 | 19,264 | 0.11% |
| 1990 | 12,222 | 20,708 | 0.12% |
| 1991 | 13,868 | 22,687 | 0.13% |
| 1992 | 14,316 | 22,847 | 0.13% |
| 1993 | 14,309 | 22,312 | 0.13% |
| 1994 | 14,548 | 22,201 | 0.13% |
| 1995 | 13,996 | 20,915 | 0.13% |
| 1996 | 13,884 | 20,364 | 0.12% |
| 1997 | 13,709 | 19,756 | 0.11% |
| 1998 | 13,638 | 19,411 | 0.11% |
| 1999 | 13,665 | 19,211 | 0.1% |
| 2000 | 13,602 | 18,733 | 0.094% |
| 2001 | 14,253 | 19,165 | 0.094% |
| 2002 | 14,892 | 19,714 | 0.094% |
| 2003 | 15,388 | 19,511 | 0.095% |
| 2004 | 15,599 | 19,194 | 0.09% |
| 2005 | 16,196 | 19,302 | 0.083% |
| 2006 | 16,659 | 19,321 | 0.083% |
| 2007 | 16,285 | 18,504 | 0.081% |
| 2008 | 17,402 | 19,573 | 0.076% |
| 2009 | 17,832 | 19,884 | 0.061% |
| 2010 | 18,724 | 20,468 | 0.062% |
| 2011 | 18,448 | 19,807 | 0.059% |
| 2012 | 17,771 | 18,739 | 0.07% |
| 2013 | 16,865 | 17,466 | 0.066% |
| 2014 | 17,646 | 18,088 | 0.068% |
| 2015 | 18,010 | 18,314 | 0.063% |
| 2016 | 19,285 | 19,285 | 0.072% |
| 2017 | 19,653 | 19,226 | 0.056% |
| 2018 | 21,270 | 20,430 | 0.055% |
| 2019 | 20,542 | 19,477 | 0.051% |
| 2020 | 21,198 | 19,430 | 0.07% |
| 2021 | 23,483 | 20,117 | 0.053% |
| 2022 | 23,794 | 19,492 | 0.049% |
| 2023 | 25,748 | 20,544 | 0.043% |
| 2024 | 24,875 | 19,421 | 0.039% |
| 2025 | 24,838 | 18,998 | 0.037% |
| 2026est. | 18,800 | 14,380 | 0.024% |
Fig. 2 · Where the money goes
Science missions and human spaceflight (Exploration and Space Operations) split most of NASA's money.
The major NASA budget lines tracked by AAAS. These are appropriations accounts: they overlap the budget-history series but are not an exact decomposition of it.
The numbers behind this figure
| Fiscal year | Science, Aeornautics and Technology | Human Space Flight | Misson Support | Science | Aeronautics | Space Technology | Exploration | Space Ops | Support and Construction | STEM Engagement | Office of the Inspector General | American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 | COVID-19 Emergency Funding, 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 7,654 | 3,505 | 2,586 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 8,839 | 2,970 | 2,574 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 130 | 22 | — | — |
| 1995 | 8,882 | 2,842 | 2,451 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 153 | 24 | — | — |
| 1996 | 8,317 | 3,175 | 2,374 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 161 | 23 | — | — |
| 1997 | 7,859 | 3,141 | 2,477 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 174 | 24 | — | — |
| 1998 | 7,902 | 3,385 | 2,331 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 185 | 26 | — | — |
| 1999 | 7,949 | 3,264 | 2,448 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 195 | 28 | — | — |
| 2000 | 8,990 | 4,151 | — | — | 777 | — | 1,695 | — | — | 191 | 28 | — | — |
| 2001 | 9,502 | 3,848 | — | — | 770 | — | 2,118 | — | — | 178 | 31 | — | — |
| 2002 | 10,654 | 10,976 | — | — | 855 | — | 2,141 | — | — | 301 | 31 | — | — |
| 2003 | — | — | — | 5,691 | 760 | — | 2,487 | 6,487 | 3,804 | 252 | 32 | — | — |
| 2004 | — | — | — | 5,479 | 1,034 | — | 2,734 | 5,763 | 3,867 | 283 | 33 | — | — |
| 2005 | — | — | — | 5,266 | 921 | — | 2,115 | 6,809 | 3,942 | 213 | 37 | — | — |
| 2006 | — | — | — | 4,903 | 835 | — | 2,851 | 6,454 | 4,053 | 188 | 37 | — | — |
| 2007 | — | — | — | 5,238 | 675 | — | 3,261 | 5,810 | 3,352 | 132 | 37 | — | — |
| 2008 | — | — | — | 5,324 | 575 | — | 3,711 | 6,104 | 3,657 | 165 | 37 | — | — |
| 2009 | — | — | — | 5,021 | 558 | — | 3,909 | 6,428 | 3,743 | 189 | 37 | 1,117 | — |
| 2010 | — | — | — | 4,916 | 543 | 301 | 3,963 | 6,714 | 3,794 | 197 | 40 | — | — |
| 2011 | — | — | — | 5,282 | 573 | 490 | 4,103 | 5,525 | 3,639 | 156 | 39 | — | — |
| 2012 | — | — | — | 5,350 | 600 | 605 | 3,909 | 4,412 | 3,679 | 144 | 40 | — | — |
| 2013 | — | — | — | 4,952 | 548 | 636 | 3,838 | 3,858 | 3,477 | 120 | 37 | — | — |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 5,277 | 580 | 590 | 4,216 | 3,868 | 3,398 | 120 | 38 | — | — |
| 2015 | — | — | — | 5,332 | 653 | 610 | 3,603 | 4,704 | 3,255 | 121 | 38 | — | — |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 5,584 | 634 | 686 | 3,996 | 5,032 | 3,200 | 115 | 37 | — | — |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 5,637 | 642 | 809 | 4,093 | 4,835 | 3,076 | 98 | 37 | — | — |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 6,479 | 663 | 730 | 4,601 | 4,562 | 3,262 | 96 | 37 | — | — |
| 2019 | — | — | — | 6,529 | 687 | 879 | 3,875 | 4,400 | 2,965 | 104 | 37 | — | — |
| 2020 | — | — | — | 6,547 | 719 | 1,008 | 4,136 | 3,790 | 3,079 | 110 | 41 | — | 55 |
| 2021 | — | — | — | 6,601 | 710 | 942 | 5,321 | 3,514 | 2,883 | 109 | 38 | — | — |
| 2022 | — | — | — | 6,238 | 721 | 901 | 5,410 | 3,256 | 2,816 | 112 | 37 | — | — |
| 2023 | — | — | — | 6,220 | 746 | 957 | 6,079 | 3,405 | 2,984 | 114 | 38 | — | — |
| 2024 | — | — | — | 5,726 | 730 | 859 | 5,985 | 3,295 | 2,677 | 112 | 37 | — | — |
| 2025 | — | — | — | 5,610 | 715 | 841 | 5,864 | 3,228 | 2,595 | 109 | 36 | — | — |
| 2026est. | — | — | — | 2,989 | 450 | 435 | 6,358 | 2,396 | 1,728 | — | 31 | — | — |
Fig. 3 · Basic, applied, or development
NASA’s research mix leans on basic science and development. Building spacecraft is development work.
Research and development at NASA from 2000, the first year all three categories are reported, split by character of work: basic research asks how the world works, applied research aims at a specific problem, and development turns knowledge into working systems.
The numbers behind this figure
| Fiscal year | Basic research | Applied research | Development |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,958 | 2,124 | 3,741 |
| 2001 | 2,279 | 3,495 | 3,722 |
| 2002 | 2,531 | 3,664 | 3,426 |
| 2003 | 2,866 | 4,142 | 3,849 |
| 2004 | 3,136 | 3,811 | 4,043 |
| 2005 | 3,059 | 2,692 | 4,404 |
| 2006 | 2,740 | 2,002 | 6,101 |
| 2007 | 2,689 | 1,202 | 7,264 |
| 2008 | 2,480 | 638 | 6,920 |
| 2009 | 1,012 | 787 | 5,645 |
| 2010 | 931 | 728 | 6,089 |
| 2011 | 1,308 | 2,561 | 5,793 |
| 2012 | 3,415 | 2,845 | 5,738 |
| 2013 | 3,111 | 2,865 | 5,623 |
| 2014 | 3,438 | 2,529 | 5,974 |
| 2015 | 3,290 | 2,388 | 5,967 |
| 2016 | 3,639 | 2,480 | 7,356 |
| 2017 | 3,606 | 2,476 | 4,569 |
| 2018 | 3,210 | 1,967 | 5,572 |
| 2019 | 4,753 | 2,635 | 2,776 |
| 2020 | 6,310 | 2,530 | 5,148 |
| 2021 | 4,129 | 2,431 | 4,562 |
| 2022 | 4,898 | 2,079 | 3,627 |
| 2023 | 4,610 | 2,035 | 4,003 |
| 2024 | 3,466 | 1,375 | 3,867 |
| 2025 | 3,446 | 1,347 | 3,746 |
| 2026est. | 1,961 | 977 | 2,559 |
Appropriations
The current budget cycle: FY 2026 enacted, FY 2027 requested
What Congress enacted for fiscal year 2026 and what the White House has requested for FY 2027, account by account. Budget authority in millions of dollars.
The research and development share of this budget, as estimated by AAAS and excluding non-R&D activities in these accounts, came to $11B enacted for FY 2026. The ledgers below compare appropriated totals, which fund whole programs and can include activity beyond R&D.
- Deep Space Exploration Systems, FY 2026 enacted$7.8BFY 2027 request $8.5B+9.4%
- Science, FY 2026 enacted$7.3BFY 2027 request $3.9B-46.3%
- LEO and Spaceflight Operations, FY 2026 enacted$4.2BFY 2027 request $3B-27%
- Aeronautics Research, FY 2026 enacted$935MFY 2027 request $610M-34.8%
- Space Technology, FY 2026 enacted$921MFY 2027 request $624M-32.2%
- STEM Engagement, FY 2026 enacted$143MFY 2027 request $0M-100%
- NASA Total, FY 2026 enacted$24.4BFY 2027 request $18.8B-23%
- ACD: Cislunar, Surface, Lander, FY 2026 enacted$2BFY 2027 request $2.3B+13.6%
- Orion Program, FY 2026 enacted$1.4BFY 2027 request $1.2B-14%
- Space Launch System (SLS), FY 2026 enacted$1.3BFY 2027 request $1.5B+14.4%
- ACD: Gateway, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $750M—
- Exploration Ground Systems, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $750M—
- Artemis Campaign Development, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $750M—
- Total Deep Space Exploration, FY 2026 enacted$7.8BFY 2027 request $8.5B+9.4%
- Planetary Science, FY 2026 enacted$2.5BFY 2027 request $1.9B-26.2%
- Earth Science, FY 2026 enacted$2.2BFY 2027 request $1B-52.6%
- Astrophysics, FY 2026 enacted$1.6BFY 2027 request $552M-65.4%
- Heliophysics, FY 2026 enacted$875MFY 2027 request $420M-52%
- Bio and Physical Sciences, FY 2026 enacted$86MFY 2027 request $25M-70.9%
- Science Total, FY 2026 enacted$7.3BFY 2027 request $3.9B-46.3%
- Mars Sample Return, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $0M—
- Astrophysics Research, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $108M—
- Lunar Exploration, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $204M—
- Heliophysics Research, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $118M—
- Earth Science Research, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $260M—
- Mars Exploration, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $248M—
- Discovery, FY 2026 enacted$0MFY 2027 request $0M—
How much funding does NASA get in FY 2026?
NASA received $24.44 billion in regular annual appropriations for fiscal year 2026. This covers the agency as a whole, including science missions, human spaceflight, aeronautics, and operations. These are regular annual budget authority figures, the amount available to commit to programs. They are not cash spent during the year and do not include separate multi-year mandatory funding. NASA reports that funding on its own schedule; adding it to this annual series would mix different measures.
What is NASA’s FY 2027 budget request?
The White House requested $18.83 billion for FY 2027, 23.0% lower than FY 2026 enacted. The request is a proposal, not an enacted budget.
Was NASA’s budget cut?
NASA’s FY 2026 regular annual appropriation is $24.44 billion. That is 1.6% lower than FY 2025 in nominal dollars, before adjusting for inflation. The White House requested $18.83 billion for FY 2027, 23.0% lower than FY 2026 enacted. The request is a proposal, not an enacted budget.
Is NASA’s science budget the same as its research budget?
AAAS estimates $10.96 billion of NASA’s FY 2026 enacted funding as research and development (R&D). That is a subset of the agency budget. The Science account is $7.25 billion in FY 2026. It funds Earth science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, but it is not the same measure as all NASA R&D. These figures overlap and should not be added together.
Why does the historical chart show a different figure?
The history chart uses an AAAS snapshot dated 2025-10-23. Its FY 2026 endpoint is a request-era estimate, not the enacted figure above. The nominal and inflation-adjusted lines describe the total agency budget; the share-of-GDP view measures R&D only.
Who decides NASA’s budget?
The president proposes a budget. Congress sets funding through appropriations legislation, which becomes law when enacted. A request, a House proposal, a Senate proposal, and an enacted appropriation are distinct stages.
