The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released its new annual report on the agency’s economic impact, and the results are astounding: NASA’s activities generate nearly $32 billion in direct spending each year in the U.S., with an additional $12 billion in related work throughout its supply chain. In total, NASA’s activities support more than 400,000 jobs across all 50 states—an impact that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine says makes NASA three times better than its budget would suggest. That’s an incredible return on investment for taxpayers!
As of last Thursday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s annual economic output was three times greater than its annual budget.
NASA examined the fiscal year 2021, when the organisation had over 19,000 personnel and a government budget of $23.3 billion. In addition to sustaining nearly 340,000 employment in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., the study claims that NASA missions, research, and other activities “produced a total economic output of more than $71.2 billion.”
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told CNBC, “We’re trying to stress out just how profound, and nearly immeasurable, this [agency’s] economic influence is.
NASA’s efforts in the fields of aerospace and space range from operational initiatives like the International Space Station and Commercial Crew to the Artemis programme, which aims to send people back to the moon.
And despite the seeming efficiency of NASA’s use of public funds, Nelson asserted that the agency’s contribution to the American economy is really understated in the economic impact report. He gave examples like measuring soil moisture for agriculture, doing pharmaceutical research on the space station, or utilising satellites to spot trees that could be infected and potentially start a forest fire.
“Will they comprehend it? Many people won’t comprehend it and will take it for granted, according to Nelson, a former Florida senator for the United States.
