NASA Appropriations and Authorizations:
A Fact Sheet
Updated December 15, 2020
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 FY2021 and congressional action so
far on FY2021 appropriations. Through December 18, 2020, NASA is operating at FY2020
funding levels under a continuing resolution (P.L. 116-215).
Table 1 shows appropriations for NASA for FY2015-FY2020. The data for FY2015-FY2019
include supplemental appropriations, rescissions, transfers, and reprogramming. They are taken
from NASA’s congressional budget justifications for FY2017-FY2021.1 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 FY2020 are as enacted by the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93). For amounts not specified in that act, see
the explanatory statement in the Congressional Record, December 17, 2019.
Table 2 shows FY2019 appropriations as enacted; the Administration’s original request for
FY2020 and its additional request in the May 2019 budget amendment; FY2020 appropriations
proposed in 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); FY2020 appropriations enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020
(P.L. 116-93); and authorizations of FY2020 appropriations proposed in the NASA Authorization
Act of 2020 (H.R. 5666) and the NASA Authorization Act of 2019 (S. 2800).
Table 3 shows FY2020 appropriations as enacted, the Administration’s request for FY2021,
FY2021 appropriations proposed in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Division B of H.R. 7617 as passed by the House in July 2020), and
FY2021 appropriations proposed in the draft bill and explanatory statement released by the
Senate Committee on Appropriations in November 2020. Authorizations for FY2021 are not
included in H.R. 5666 or S. 2800.
Note that the Administration’s budget requests since FY2019 have 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 may represent
somewhat different content in different columns.
Figure 1 shows NASA’s total annual budget authority from the agency’s establishment in
FY1958 to FY2020, in both current dollars and inflation-adjusted FY2020 dollars.

1 FY2016, FY2017, and FY2019 Education and STEM Engagement amounts are not shown in the FY2018, FY2019,
and FY2021 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;
the explanatory statement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), Congressional Record, May 3,
2017, pp. H3374-H3375; and the explanatory statement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93),
Congressional Record, December 17, 2019, pp. H10969-H10971.
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Table 1. NASA Appropriations, FY2015-FY2020
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
Science
$5,243
$5,584
$5,762
$6,212
$6,887
$7,139a
Earth Science
1,784
1,927
1,908
1,921
1,931
1,972
Planetary Science
1,447
1,628
1,828
2,218
2,747
2,713
Astrophysics
731
762
783
850
1,191
1,306
James Webb Space Telescope
645
620
569
534
305
423
Heliophysics
636
647
675
689
713
725
Aeronautics
642
634
656
685
725
784
Space Technology
600
686
687
760
927
1,100
Exploration
3,543
3,996
4,324
4,790
5,045
6,018
Exploration Systems Development
3,212
3,641
3,929
4,395
4,087
4,583
Orion
1,190
1,270
1,330
1,350
1,350
1,407
Space Launch System
1,679
1,972
2,127
2,150
2,144
2,586
Exploration Ground Systems
343
399
472
895
593
590
Exploration R&D
331
355
395
395
958
1,435
Space Operations
4,626
5,032
4,943
4,749
4,640
4,140
Space Shuttle
8
5
0
0
0
0
International Space Station
1,525
1,436
1,451
1,493
1,490
n/s
Space Transportation
2,254
2,668
2,589
2,346
2,110
n/s
Space and Flight Support
839
923
903
910
1,000
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
—
—
—
—
40
15
Education / STEM Engagement
119
115
100
100
110
120
Space Grant
40
40
40
40
44
48
EPSCoR
18
18
18
18
21
24
MUREP
32
32
32
32
33
36
Other
29
25
10
10
12
12
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,755
2,772
2,769
2,827
2,755
2,913b
Construction and EC&R
446
427
485c
657d
372
373
Inspector General
37
37
38
39
39
42
Total
18,010
19,285
19,762c
20,817d
21,500 22,629ab
Sources: FY2015-FY2019 from NASA FY2017-FY2021 congressional budget justifications. FY2020 from P.L.
116-93 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 17, 2019, pp. H10969-H10971.
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. Not adjusted to reflect rescission of $70 mil ion from prior year unobligated balances (Section 521(c)).
b. Does not include additional $60 mil ion appropriated by the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136).
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, FY2020
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2020 Appropriations
FY2020 Auths.
FY2019 Original Budget
House Senate
Enacted
House Senate

Enacted Request
Amdt.
Science
$6,906
$6,304
+$90
$7,161
$6,906
$7,139
$7,139
$6,906
Earth Science
1,931
1,780

2,023
1,945
1,972
1,972
n/s
Planetary Science
2,759
2,622

2,713
2,631
2,713
2,713
n/s
Astrophysics
1,192
845

1,368
1,172
1,306
1,306
n/s
James Webb Space Telescope
305
353

353
423
423
423
n/s
Heliophysics
720
705

705
735
725
725
n/s
Aeronautics
725
667

700
784
784
784
784
Space Tech. / Exploration Tech.
927
1,014
+132
1,292
1,076
1,100
1,100
1,076
Exploration / Deep Sp. Exp. Sys.
5,051
5,022
+1,375
5,130
6,223
6,018
6,018
6,223
Exploration Systems Development
4,093
3,442

4,168
4,583
4,583
4,583
n/s
Orion
1,350
1,266

1,425
1,407
1,407
1,407
n/s
Space Launch System
2,150
1,775

2,150
2,586
2,586
2,586
n/s
Exploration Ground Systems
593
400

593
590
590
590
n/s
Exploration R&D
958
1,580

962
1,640
1,435
1,435
n/s
Space Ops. / LEO and Spflt. Ops.
4,639
4,286

4,286
4,150
4,140
4,140
4,150
International Space Station
n/s
1,458

n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
Space Transportation
n/s
1,829

n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
Space and Flight Support
n/s
849

n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
40
150

n/s
15
15
n/s
n/s
STEM Engagement
110
0

124
112
120
120
112
Space Grant
44
0

49
47
48
48
n/s
EPSCoR
21
0

25
22
24
24
n/s
MUREP
33
0

37
33
36
36
n/s
Other
12
0

13
10
12
12
n/s
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,755
3,085

3,085
2,935
2,913a
2,913
2,935
Construction and EC&R
348
600

497
524
373
373
524
Inspector General
39
42

42
40
42
42
40
Total
21,500
21,019
+1,597
22,316
22,750
22,629a
22,629
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 (June 2019) and H.Rept. 116-101. Senate from H.R. 3055 as passed by the
Senate (October 2019) and S.Rept. 116-127. Enacted from P.L. 116-93 and explanatory statement, Congressional
Record, December 17, 2019, pp. H10969-H10971. House authorization from H.R. 5666 as introduced. Senate
authorization from S. 2800 as introduced.
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.
a. Does not include additional $60 mil ion appropriated by the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136).
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Table 3. NASA Appropriations and Authorizations, FY2021
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2021 Appropriations
FY2020 Request House Senate Enacted

Enacted
Science
$7,139a
$6,307
$7,098
$7,275

Earth Science
1,972
1,768
2,022
1,984

Planetary Science
2,713
2,660
2,713
2,674

Astrophysics
1,306
831
1,306
1,346

James Webb Space Telescope
423
415
423
415

Heliophysics
725
633
633
776

Biological and Physical Sciencesb
—
—
—
79

Aeronautics
784
819
819
829

Space Tech. / Exploration Tech.
1,100
1,578
1,100
1,206

Exploration / Deep Sp. Exp. Sys.
6,018
8,762
6,018
6,706

Exploration Systems Development
4,583
4,042
4,460
4,583

Orion
1,407
1,401
1,401
1,407

Space Launch System
2,586
2,257
2,600
2,586

Exploration Ground Systems
590
385
460
590

Exploration R&D
1,435
4,719
1,557
2,124

Space Ops. / LEO and Spflt. Ops.
4,140
4,187
4,052
3,988

International Space Station
n/s
1,401
n/s
n/s

Space Transportation
n/s
1,878
n/s
n/s

Space and Flight Support
n/s
759
n/s
n/s

Commercial LEO Development
15
150
15
17

STEM Engagement
120
0
127
120

Space Grant
48
0
51
48

EPSCoR
24
0
26
24

MUREP
36
0
38
36

Other
12
0
12
12

Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,913c
3,010
2,953
2,937

Construction and EC&R
373
539
419
390

Inspector General
42
44
44
44

Total
22,629ac
25,246
22,630
23,495

Sources: FY2020 enacted from P.L. 116-93 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 17,
2019, pp. H10969-H10971. Request from FY2021 NASA congressional budget justification. House from H.R.
7617 as passed by the House (July 2020) and H.Rept. 116-455 (on H.R. 7667). Senate from draft released by the
Senate Committee on Appropriations (November 2020).
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.
a. Not adjusted to reflect rescission of $70 mil ion from prior year unobligated balances (Section 521(c)).
b. Included in International Space Station except in Senate bil .
c. Does not include additional $60 mil ion appropriated by the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136).
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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

Figure 1. NASA Funding, FY1958-FY2020

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-FY2014 from NASA congressional budget justifications, FY2011-FY2016. FY2015-FY2020 as in Table 1.
Current dol ars deflated to FY2020 dol ars using GDP (chained) price index from President’s budget for FY2021,
Historical Table 10.1, https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/.
Note: Transition quarter between FY1976 and FY1977 not shown. FY2020 amount does not include an
additional $60 mil ion that would be appropriated by the CARES Act (H.R. 748).

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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet

Author Information

Daniel Morgan

Specialist in Science and Technology Policy

Disclaimer
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