2023

Budget Gridlock Delays Spending on New U.S. Space Programs

Among programs that could face budget-driven delays are NASA’s proposed robotic rovers to explore for lunar water.Among programs that could face budget-driven delays are NASA’s proposed robotic rovers to explore for lunar water.

Congressional gridlock delayed a 2023 spending plan for U.S. government space programs, which have made up about 12 percent of the global space economy in recent years. The delay stalled budget increases for NASA and the Pentagon topping $6 billion, but a stopgap measure keeps agencies operating at 2022 spending levels.

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Global Space Activity by Category, 2005-2021

The global space economy continued to expand in 2021 to reach $469 billion. This record high also had the largest growth rate since 2014, growing 9% from a revised 2020 total of $431 billion.The global space economy continued to expand in 2021 to reach $469 billion. This record high also had the largest growth rate since 2014, growing 9% from a revised 2020 total of $431 billion.

For this year’s analysis, Space Foundation incorporated historical data and 2022 government spending to project the global space economy’s growth over the next five years. Using our methodology, we predict that the total could reach $639 billion by 2026. Our modeling takes a more conservative approach based on average growth of established sectors and does not factor in developing sectors such as lunar habitation or still exploratory concepts such as asteroid mining.

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