NASA Appropriations and Authorizations:
A Fact Sheet
Updated January 5, 2021
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 on
FY2021 appropriations and authorizations of appropriations.
Table 1 shows appropriations for NASA for FY2015-FY2021. 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. The data for FY2021
are as enacted by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260). For amounts not
specified in that act, see the explanatory statement in the Congressional Record, December 21,
2020.
Table 2 shows FY2020 appropriations as enacted; the Trump 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); FY2021 appropriations proposed in the draft bill and explanatory statement released by
the Senate Committee on Appropriations in November 2020; FY2021 appropriations enacted in
P.L. 116-260; and authorizations of FY2021 appropriations proposed in the NASA Authorization
Act of 2020 (S. 2800) as passed by the Senate.
Note that the Trump Administration budget requests for FY2019-FY2021 proposed new names
for some NASA accounts. In the enacted FY2019 appropriation, Education became Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement. The Administration 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 have transferred certain activities from
Exploration to Space Technology, so the amounts shown for those items in Table 2 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 FY2021, in both current dollars and inflation-adjusted FY2021 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-FY2021
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Science
$5,243
$5,584
$5,762
$6,212
$6,887
$7,139a
$7,301
Earth Science
1,784
1,927
1,908
1,921
1,931
1,972
2,000
Planetary Science
1,447
1,628
1,828
2,218
2,747
2,713
2,700
Astrophysics
731
762
783
850
1,191
1,306
1,356
James Webb Space Telescope
645
620
569
534
305
423
415
Heliophysics
636
647
675
689
713
725
751
Biological and Physical Sciencesb
—
—
—
—
—
—
79
Aeronautics
642
634
656
685
725
784
829
Space Technology
600
686
687
760
927
1,100
1,100
Exploration
3,543
3,996
4,324
4,790
5,045
6,018
6,555
Exploration Systems Development
3,212
3,641
3,929
4,395
4,087
4,583
4,583
Orion
1,190
1,270
1,330
1,350
1,350
1,407
1,407
Space Launch System
1,679
1,972
2,127
2,150
2,144
2,586
2,586
Exploration Ground Systems
343
399
472
895
593
590
590
Exploration R&D
331
355
395
395
958
1,435
1,973
Space Operations
4,626
5,032
4,943
4,749
4,640
4,140
3,988
Space Shuttle
8
5
—
—
—
—
—
International Space Station
1,525
1,436
1,451
1,493
1,490
n/s
n/s
Space Transportation
2,254
2,668
2,589
2,346
2,110
n/s
n/s
Space and Flight Support
839
923
903
910
1,000
n/s
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
—
—
—
—
40
15
17
Education / STEM Engagement
119
115
100
100
110
120
127
Space Grant
40
40
40
40
44
48
51
EPSCoR
18
18
18
18
21
24
26
MUREP
32
32
32
32
33
36
38
Other
29
25
10
10
12
12
12
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,755
2,772
2,769
2,827
2,755
2,913c
2,937
Construction and EC&R
446
427
485d
657e
372
373
390
Inspector General
37
37
38
39
39
42
44
Total
18,010
19,285
19,762d
20,817e
21,500 22,629ac
23,271
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. FY2021 from
P.L. 116-260 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 21, 2020, pp. H7944-H7947.
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. Included in International Space Station before FY2021.
c. Does not include additional $60 mil ion appropriated by the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136).
d. 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.
e. 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, FY2021
(budget authority in $ millions)

FY21 Appropriations
FY21 Auth.
FY2020

Enacted Request House Senate Enacted
Senate
Science
$7,139a
$6,307
$7,098
$7,275
$7,301
$7,275
Earth Science
1,972
1,768
2,022
1,984
2,000
n/s
Planetary Science
2,713
2,660
2,713
2,674
2,700
n/s
Astrophysics
1,306
831
1,306
1,346
1,356
n/s
James Webb Space Telescope
423
415
423
415
415
n/s
Heliophysics
725
633
633
776
751
n/s
Biological and Physical Sciencesb
—
—
—
79
79
n/s
Aeronautics
784
819
819
829
829
829
Space Tech. / Exploration Tech.
1,100
1,578
1,100
1,206
1,100
1,206
Exploration / Deep Sp. Exp. Sys.
6,018
8,762
6,018
6,706
6,555
6,706
Exploration Systems Development
4,583
4,042
4,460
4,583
4,583
n/s
Orion
1,407
1,401
1,401
1,407
1,407
n/s
Space Launch System
2,586
2,257
2,600
2,586
2,586
n/s
Exploration Ground Systems
590
385
460
590
590
n/s
Exploration R&D
1,435
4,719
1,557
2,124
1,973
n/s
Space Ops. / LEO and Spflt. Ops.
4,140
4,187
4,052
3,988
3,988
3,988
International Space Station
n/s
1,401
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
Space Transportation
n/s
1,878
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
Space and Flight Support
n/s
759
n/s
n/s
n/s
n/s
Commercial LEO Development
15
150
15
17
17
n/s
STEM Engagement
120
0
127
120
127
120
Space Grant
48
0
51
48
51
n/s
EPSCoR
24
0
26
24
26
n/s
MUREP
36
0
38
36
38
n/s
Other
12
0
12
12
12
n/s
Safety, Security, & Mission Svcs.
2,913c
3,010
2,953
2,937
2,937
2,937
Construction and EC&R
373
539
419
390
390
390
Inspector General
42
44
44
44
44
44
Total
22,629ac
25,246
22,630
23,495
23,271
23,495
Sources: FY2020: P.L. 116-93 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 17, 2019, pp.
H10969-H10971. Request: FY2021 NASA congressional budget justification. House: H.R. 7617 as passed by the
House (July 2020) and H.Rept. 116-455 (on H.R. 7667). Senate: Senate Appropriations Committee draft
(November 2020). Enacted: P.L. 116-260 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, December 21, 2020,
pp. H7944-H7947. Senate authorizations: S. 2800 as passed by the Senate (December 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 in FY2021, Request, and House.
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-FY2021

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-FY2021 as in Table 1.
Current dol ars deflated to FY2021 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 additional
$60 mil ion appropriated by the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136).

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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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