In 2023, global government expenditure for space programs hit a record of approximately 117 billion U.S. dollars. The United States Government spent around 73.2 billion U.S. dollars on its space programs in 2023, making it the country with the highest space expenditure in the world. The U.S. was followed by China, with government expenditure on space programs of over 14 billion U.S. dollars.
The Space Agencies
Responsible for civilian space programs, as well space research and exploration, the space agencies have gained in importance over the past decades. Today, there are six government space agencies (NASA, CNSA, ROSCOSMOS, ESA, ISRO, and JAXA) with full launch and extraterrestrial landing capabilities. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is undoubtedly the most renowned of them all. Since its establishment in 1958, NASA has worked with international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and beyond, bringing new knowledge and opportunities back to our home planet. It is therefore not surprising that most of their budget goes to toward science and exploration. NASA’s requested FY 2024 budget for all sectors is 27.2 billion U.S. dollars.
