NASA Appropriations and Authorizations:
A Fact Sheet
Updated November 15, 2019
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R43419

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Overview
Congressional deliberations about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
often focus on the availability of funding. This fact sheet provides data on past and current NASA
appropriations, as well as the President’s budget request for FY2020 and congressional action on
FY2020 appropriations. Through November 21, 2019, NASA is operating under a continuing
resolution (P.L. 116-59) at the FY2019 rate of funding.
Table 1 shows appropriations for NASA from FY2014 through FY2019. The data for FY2014
through FY2018 include supplemental appropriations, rescissions, transfers, and reprogramming.
They are taken from NASA’s congressional budget justifications for FY2016 through FY2020.1
Congressional budget justifications are available on the NASA budget website
(http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/) for the current year and for past years back to FY2002. The
data for FY2019 are as enacted by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6). For
amounts not specified in that act, see the conference report, H.Rept. 116-9.
Table 2 shows FY2018 appropriations as enacted (i.e., without the supplemental appropriations
and other adjustments reflected in Table 1); the Administration’s request for FY2019;
authorization and appropriations amounts for FY2019 that were proposed in legislation in the
115th and 116th Congresses; and the appropriations for FY2019 that were enacted in February
2019 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6).
Table 3 shows FY2019 appropriations as enacted, the Administration’s request for FY2020,
additional FY2020 funding requested in the Administration’s May 2019 budget amendment, and
FY2020 funding that would be provided by the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020 (Division A of H.R. 3055 as passed by the House in June
2019 and as passed by the Senate in October 2019).
Note that the Administration’s budget requests for FY2019 and FY2020 proposed new names for
some NASA accounts. In the enacted FY2019 appropriation, Education became Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement. The Administration has also
proposed renaming Space Technology as Exploration Technology; Exploration as Deep Space
Exploration Systems; and Space Operations as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Spaceflight
Operations. The Administration’s proposals would also transfer certain activities from
Exploration to Space Technology, so the amounts shown for those items in Table 2 and Table 3
represent somewhat different content in different columns.
Figure 1 shows NASA’s total annual budget authority from the agency’s establishment in
FY1958 to FY2019, in both current dollars and inflation-adjusted FY2019 dollars.
For additional information on selected NASA programs, see also CRS In Focus IF10940, The
James Webb Space Telescope; CRS In Focus IF10828, The International Space Station (ISS) and
the Administration’s Proposal to End Direct NASA Funding by 2025; and the discussion of
NASA’s use of commercial space capabilities in CRS Report R45416, Commercial Space:
Federal Regulation, Oversight, and Utilization.

1 FY2016 and FY2017 Education amounts are not shown in the FY2018 and FY2019 congressional budget
justifications and are instead taken from the explanatory statement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L.
114-113), Congressional Record, December 17, 2015, pp. H9741-H9743, and the explanatory statement for the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), Congressional Record, May 3, 2017, pp. H3374-H3375.
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Table 1. NASA Appropriations, FY2014-FY2019
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2014
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
Science
$5,148
$5,243
$5,584
$5,762
$6,212
$6,906
Earth Science
1,825
1,784
1,927
1,908
1,921
1,931
Planetary Science
1,346
1,447
1,628
1,828
2,218
2,759
Astrophysics
678
731
762
783
850
1,192
James Webb Space Telescope
658
645
620
569
534
305
Heliophysics
641
636
647
675
689
720
Aeronautics
566
642
634
656
685
725
Space Technology
576
600
686
687
760
927
Exploration
4,113
3,543
3,996
4,324
4,790
5,051
Exploration Systems Development
3,115
3,212
3,641
3,929
4,395
4,093
Orion
1,197
1,190
1,270
1,330
1,350
1,350
Space Launch System
1,600
1,679
1,972
2,127
2,150
2,150
Exploration Ground Systems
318
343
399
472
895
593
Commercial Spaceflight
696
—a
—a
—a
—a
—a
Exploration R&D
302
331
355
395
395
958
Space Operations
3,774
4,626
5,032
4,943
4,749
4,639
Space Shuttle
0
8
5
0
0
0
International Space Station
2,964
1,525
1,436
1,451
1,493
n/s
Space Transportation
—b
2,254
2,668
2,589
2,346
n/s
Space and Flight Support
810
839
923
903
910
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
—
—
—
—
—
40
Education / STEM Engagement
117
119
115
100
100
110
Space Grant
40
40
40
40
40
44
EPSCoR
18
18
18
18
18
21
MUREP
30
32
32
32
32
33
Other
29
29
25
10
10
12
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,793
2,755
2,772
2,769
2,827
2,755
Construction and EC&R
522
446
427
485c
657d
348
Inspector General
38
37
37
38
39
39
Total
17,647
18,010
19,285
19,762c
20,817d
21,500
Sources: FY2014-FY2018 from NASA FY2016-FY2020 congressional budget justifications. FY2019 from P.L.
116-6 and H.Rept. 116-9.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. R&D = Research and Development. LEO = Low Earth
Orbit. STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. EPSCoR = Established Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University Research and Education Program. EC&R = Environmental
Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not specified.
a. Included in Space Transportation under Space Operations.
b. Commercial Crew funded under Exploration. Remainder of Space Transportation included in International
Space Station.
c. Includes $109 mil ion in additional emergency funding from Section 540 of the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) that is not shown in the NASA FY2019 congressional budget justification.
d. Includes $81 mil ion in supplemental emergency funding from the Further Additional Supplemental
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2018 (Division B of P.L. 115-123) that is not shown in
the NASA FY2020 congressional budget justification.
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Table 2. NASA Appropriations and Authorizations, FY2019
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2019 Appropriations
FY2019 Auth.
FY2018 Request House Senate Enacted House Senate

Enacted
(115th) (115th)
(116th) (115th) (115th)
Science
$6,222
$5,895
$6,681
$6,400
$6,906
$6,624
$6,400
Earth Science
1,921
1,784
1,900
1,931
1,931
1,921
n/s
Planetary Science
2,228
2,235
2,759
2,202
2,759
2,637
n/s
Astrophysics
850
1,185
1,029
1,243
1,192
1,375
n/s
James Webb Space Telescope
534
—a
305
305
305
—
n/s
Heliophysics
689
691
689
720
720
691
n/s
Aeronautics
685
634
715
725
725
685
725
Space Tech. / Exploration Tech.
760
1,003
900
933
927
1,018
1,003
Exploration / Deep Sp. Exp. Sys.
4,790
4,559
5,084
5,339
5,051
4,929
5,339
Exploration Systems Development
4,395
3,670
4,045
4,295
4,093
4,040
n/s
Orion
1,350
1,164
1,350
1,350
1,350
1,350
n/s
Space Launch System
2,150
2,078
2,150
2,150
2,150
2,150
n/s
Exploration Ground Systems
895
428
545
795
593
540
n/s
Exploration R&D
395
889
1,039
1,044
958
889
n/s
Space Ops. / LEO and Spflt. Ops.
4,752
4,625
4,625
4,639
4,639
4,625
4,639
International Space Station
n/s
1,462
n/s
n/s
n/s
1,462
n/s
Space Transportation
n/s
2,109
n/s
2,109
n/s
2,109
n/s
Space and Flight Support
n/s
904
n/s
n/s
n/s
904
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
—
150
150
40
40
150
n/s
Education / STEM Engagement
100
0
90
110
110
108
100
Space Grant
40
0
40
44
44
40
n/s
EPSCoR
18
0
18
21
21
18
n/s
MUREP
32
0
32
33
33
n/s
n/s
Other
10
0
0
12
12
n/s
n/s
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,827
2,750
2,850
2,750
2,755
2,750
2,850
Construction and EC&R
562
388
562
388
348
438
451
Inspector General
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
Total
20,736
19,892
21,546
21,323
21,500
21,215
21,546
Sources: FY2018 enacted from P.L. 115-141 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, March 22, 2018,
pp. H2094-H2096. Request from FY2019 NASA congressional budget justification. House (115th Congress) from
H.R. 5952 as reported and H.Rept. 115-704. Senate (115th Congress) from S. 3072 as reported and S.Rept. 115-
275; H.R. 21 as passed by the House would have provided the same amounts. Enacted from P.L. 116-6 and
H.Rept. 116-9; H.R. 648 as passed by the House would have provided the same amounts. Authorizations from
H.R. 5503 (115th Congress) as reported and S. 3799 (115th Congress) as introduced.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. R&D = Research and Development. LEO = Low Earth
Orbit. STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. EPSCoR = Established Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University Research and Education Program. EC&R = Environmental
Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not specified. See text for name changes and variations in program content.
a. $305 mil ion included in Astrophysics.

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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

Table 3. NASA Appropriations, FY2020
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2020 Appropriations
FY2019 Original
Budget
House Senate Enacted

Enacted Request Amdmt.
Science
$6,906
$6,304
+$90
$7,161
$6,906

Earth Science
1,931
1,780

2,023
1,945

Planetary Science
2,759
2,622

2,713
2,631

Astrophysics
1,192
845

1,368
1,172

James Webb Space Telescope
305
353

353
423

Heliophysics
720
705

705
735

Aeronautics
725
667

700
784

Space Tech. / Exploration Tech.
927
1,014
+132
1,292
1,076

Exploration / Deep Sp. Exp. Sys.
5,051
5,022
+1,375
5,130
6,223

Exploration Systems Development
4,093
3,442

4,168
4,583

Orion
1,350
1,266

1,425
1,407

Space Launch System
2,150
1,775

2,150
2,586

Exploration Ground Systems
593
400

593
590

Exploration R&D
958
1,580

962
1,640

Space Ops. / LEO and Spflt. Ops.
4,639
4,286

4,286
4,150

International Space Station
n/s
1,458

n/s
n/s

Space Transportation
n/s
1,829

n/s
n/s

Space and Flight Support
n/s
849

n/s
n/s

Commercial LEO Development
40
150

n/s
15

STEM Engagement
110
0

124
112

Space Grant
44
0

49
47

EPSCoR
21
0

25
22

MUREP
33
0

37
33

Other
12
0

13
10

Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,755
3,085

3,085
2,935

Construction and EC&R
348
600

497
524

Inspector General
39
42

42
40

Total
21,500
21,019
+1,597
22,316
22,750

Sources: FY2019 enacted from P.L. 116-6 and H.Rept. 116-9. Original Request from FY2020 NASA
congressional budget justification. Budget Amendment from Estimate #1, May 13, 2019,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/FY20_Budget_Amendment_5-13-19.pdf. House from
H.R. 3055 as passed by the House and H.Rept. 116-101. Senate from H.R. 3055 as passed by the Senate and
S.Rept. 116-127. Enacted column wil be updated when information becomes available.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. R&D = Research and Development. LEO = Low Earth
Orbit. EPSCoR = Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University
Research and Education Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not specified. See
text for name changes and variations in program content. The budget amendment does not provide a further
breakdown of the additional requested amounts.

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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

Figure 1. NASA Funding, FY1958-FY2019

Source: Compiled by CRS. FY1958-FY2008 from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Aeronautics
and Space Report of the President: Fiscal Year 2008 Activities, http://history.nasa.gov/presrep2008.pdf, Table D-1A.
FY2009-FY2012 from NASA congressional budget justifications, FY2011-FY2014. FY2013-FY2019 as in Table 1.
Current dol ars deflated to FY2019 dol ars using GDP (chained) price index from President’s budget for FY2019,
Historical Table 10.1, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/hist10z1-fy2019.xlsx.
Note: Transition quarter between FY1976 and FY1977 not shown.

Author Information

Daniel Morgan

Specialist in Science and Technology Policy

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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

Disclaimer
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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
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