NASA generated a $75.6 billion boost to the United States economy in FY23, according to a new report.
The NASA FY23 Economic Impact Report shows that the agency’s economic activities supported more than 304,000 jobs nationwide and did so with an investment of less than 0.5% of the federal budget.
According to the 449-page report, NASA not only directly benefits the U.S. economy, it also generates “very substantial additional economic activity … through the purchasing actions, labor income, and consumption spending that follow from the operations of the NASA centers and programs.”
The report shows that NASA’s Moon to Mars campaign, which seeks to take humans back to the Moon and develop a roadmap for future human exploration of Mars, generated $23.8 billion in total economic output and supported an estimated 96,479 jobs in FY23. It also shows that NASA’s significant investments in climate change research and technology generated a $7.9 billion boost to the U.S. economy and supported an estimated 32,900 jobs.
The agency also supports economic growth through workforce development and through technological innovation, according to a brochure accompanying the report. NASA estimates that, in FY23, its investments in STEM engagement provided “STEM experiences and opportunities” to more than 768,000 students, 53,000 educators, and 4.5 million other participants. In addition, NASA’s technology transfer activities led to the filling of 40 new patent applications and the issuance of 69 patents, “ensuring that innovations developed for space exploration are accessible to the public.”
NASA’s report highlights the agency’s economic impact in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For example, in California, NASA supported more than 66,000 jobs, created more than $18 billion in economic output, and generated $1 billion in state tax revenue.
“To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement. “Our work doesn’t just expand our understanding of the universe – it fuels economic growth, inspires future generations, and improves our quality of life. As we embark on the next great chapter of exploration, we are proud to help power economic strength, job creation, scientific progress, and American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars.”
AAU member universities work with NASA on critical research, missions, and programs. Last year, for example, the University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-Rex mission successfully delivered a sample of rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu. Earlier this year, NASA selected the Texas A&M University system to develop a new 240-acre facility focused on “human spaceflight research and development” at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The NASA-funded Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology has also been building spacecraft for NASA missions since 1958.
Kritika Agarwal is senior editorial officer at AAU.