NASA’s planned nuclear Mars mission is expected to cost more than $2 billion, according to a budget document sent to Congress. The project centers on a new spacecraft designed to transport a science mission to Mars, but that headline figure does not include the cost of the science mission itself.
Based on the spending outline, the agency plans to allocate $640 million in fiscal 2026, followed by $890 million in 2027, $415 million in 2028, and $180 million in 2029. Together, those projected outlays add up to about $2.125 billion over four years.
The breakdown suggests the largest share of funding would arrive in 2027, with lower amounts in the following two years as the program advances. Even before any separate science payload is counted, the scale of the investment highlights how expensive a nuclear-powered Mars transportation effort could become.
Because the estimate covers the spacecraft program rather than the full scientific mission, the eventual total cost tied to sending research hardware to the Red Planet would be higher. The figures now before Congress offer an early look at the financial commitment NASA is planning for this part of its Mars strategy.
