NASA has published the results of its agency wide economic impact report, showing that the agency has generated more than $64.3 billion in total economic output during fiscal year 2019, supported more than 312,000 jobs nationwide and generated an estimated $7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes throughout the nation.
"This study confirms, and puts numbers, to what we have long understood – that taxpayer investment in America's space program yields tremendous retfurns that strengthen our nation on several fronts – a stronger economy, advances in science and technology, and improvements to humanity," said NASA Administrator and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, Jim Bridenstine.
NASA commissioned an economic impact study to further understand how the U.S. economy benefited in FY2019 from America's lunar and Mars exploration efforts. The study found the agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach generated more than $14 billion in total economic output in fiscal year 2019.
Additionally, NASA found that each state in the nation has economically benefited through NASA activities, with 43 states having an economic impact of more than $10 million. The agency's Moon to Mars initiative, which includes the Artemis program, has supported more than 69,000 jobs, $14 billion in economic output, and $1.5 billion in tax revenue.
NASA has more than 700 active international agreements for various scientific research and technology development activities in FY2019. The International Space Station (ISS) has been a significant representative of international partnerships, representing 15 nations and five space agencies and has been operating for 20 years.
Scientific research and development has the largest single-sector impact, accounting for 16 percent of the overall economic impact of NASA's Moon to Mars program.
"In this new era of human spaceflight, NASA is contributing to economies locally and nationally, fueling growth in industries that will define the future, and supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in America," Bridenstine added.
