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posted by martyb on Sunday June 16 2019, @03:45PM   Printer-friendly
from the how-many-SpaceX-launches-would-that-buy? dept.

Bridenstine estimates Artemis cost at $20–30 billion

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a television interview June 13 that it will cost the agency an additional $20 billion to $30 billion to return humans to the moon, the first range of costs given by the agency for the program.

In an interview with CNN, Bridenstine said that estimate would be above earlier projections for costs of existing elements of what's now called the Artemis program, such as the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

"For the whole program, to get a sustainable presence on the moon, we're looking at between 20 and 30 billion dollars," he said. "When we talk about the 20 to 30 billion dollars, it would be 20 or 30 billion on top of the normal NASA budget but, of course, that would be spread over five years."

[...] The lack of cost estimates for Artemis had become a point of frustration for members of Congress. "For us in Congress to be able to grapple with these things, we need some idea of how much of a cost is expected to be incurred over the next five years," said Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) during a June 11 hearing by the House Science Committee's space subcommittee on NASA's science program where he sought, unsuccessfully, to get a cost estimate like the one Bridenstine provided in the interview.

Also at The Verge.

Previously: Here's Why NASA's Audacious Return to the Moon Just Might Work
Lockheed Martin Proposes Streamlined Lunar Gateway for 2024 Manned Lunar Landing
Artemis: NASA to Receive $1.6 Billion for 2024 Manned Moon Landing
NASA Orders First Segment of Lunar Station for 2024 Artemis Moon Mission


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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday June 16 2019, @05:32PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Sunday June 16 2019, @05:32PM (#856302) Journal

    There's a clue in the summary. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.). Alabama being where the Marshall Space Flight Center is.

    Yes, it's pork. It gets distributed to various states. Bridenstine is just the negotiator. Putting a politician in charge of NASA actually makes sense if the main goal is to secure budget from fellow politicians.

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