SLS and Orion: the Cost of the Government Stack
What does the government-owned part of Artemis cost per flight, and why has it survived repeated attempts to cancel it?
Chapter summary
NASA's Inspector General estimated in 2021 that one SLS rocket with an Orion capsule costs about $4.1 billion per launch to produce and operate, of which the rocket is about $2.2 billion, the capsule about $1 billion and Europe's service module about $0.3 billion, with the rest in ground systems.
Key takeaways
- 1
Spending on Artemis from 2012 to 2025 was projected at $93 billion.
- 2
The 2025 budget request proposed ending SLS and Orion after Artemis III; Congress refused, the 2025 reconciliation law added $6.7 billion for Orion, Gateway and SLS through 2032, and the FY2027 request keeps both flying through Artemis V.
- 3
At a launch every ten months, SLS and Orion alone cost about $5 billion a year in production and operations, which is a quarter of NASA's budget.
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Artemis in October 2026: What Has Flown, What Has Moved
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