Does anyone here have solid budget numbers for how much has been spent to-date on the Constellation Program? Especially Ares-I and Orion? Just curious.
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Jonathan Goff
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Jonathan Goff is a space technologist, inventor, and serial space entrepreneur who created the Selenian Boondocks blog. Jon was a co-founder of Masten Space Systems, and is the founder and CEO of Altius Space Machines, a space robotics startup in Broomfield, CO. His family includes his wife, Tiffany, and five boys: Jarom (deceased), Jonathan, James, Peter, and Andrew.
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I don’t, but I have the impression that Jim Muncy of the Space Frontier Foundation does. I don’t currently have a contact for Muncy, but he should be relatively easy to track down. I make this assumption based on his having numerous long-term contacts on the Hill, NASA, and the aerospace industry.
One caution of course: Jim is a major critic of NASA, and that may color his numbers. He has recently cited a figure of $44 billion being spent by the time of the first full-up system launch, which he suspects won’t be until 2017. If I have time, I will try to track the source where I read him saying that (it may have beeen Simberg’s site, but I’m not sure).
You may find what you want through one of these:
http://www.transterrestrial.com/?p=17865
http://www.hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=11666
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/04/04/sff-sez-kill-constellation-fund-cotsd-eelvs/
This GAO report provides Constellation budget numbers from 2007 onwards:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/98xx/doc9886/11-03-NASA_Letter.pdf
“…Constellation Program’s budget ranges from about $3 billion in 2007 to more than $3.5 billion in 2010…”
So for 2007-2008, we are talking about ~$6B. I don’t think Constellation had a formal budget till 2006. I don’t know how much it was off hand but would guestimate $1.5B range. That would give a total of about $7.5B so far.
This report
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-306SP
gives the following estimates for just Ares I/Orion through first flights:
Ares I: $17B to $20B
Orion capsule: $20B to $29B
I believe that $44B number for the total cost of Ares/Orion first hit the press in this article
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-asecconstellation02040209apr02,0,3437916.story