How Much Does It Cost to Send a Crew to the Moon?
Short answer: The NASA Office of Inspector General puts the cost of a single Artemis launch (the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft and ground systems) at about $4.1 billion. A landing adds the Human Landing System: the SpaceX Starship HLS contract is $2.9 billion for the Artemis III demonstration, and the Blue Origin Blue Moon contract $3.4 billion for Artemis V. Apollo cost roughly $25 billion between 1960 and 1973, about $250-300 billion in today's dollars, for six landings. The whole point of Starship-class reusability is to make the per-mission number an order of magnitude smaller.
List and rideshare prices as of 2026-09-01. Figures track the launch cost guide; contract prices vary.
Price by option
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SLS + Orion + ground systems, per Artemis mission | ~$4.1B (NASA OIG) | Expendable rocket, reusable Orion crew module |
| Starship HLS, Artemis III demonstration | $2.9B (contract) | Includes an uncrewed landing demo; requires orbital refueling |
| Blue Moon (Blue Origin), Artemis V | $3.4B (contract) | Launches on New Glenn |
| Apollo program, six landings (1960-73) | ~$25B then / ~$250-300B today | Roughly 4% of the federal budget at its 1966 peak |
| Commercial lunar cargo lander (CLPS), robotic | $80M-$150M per mission | Intuitive Machines, Firefly: cargo, not crew |
The costs that are not on the price list
- Spacesuits (Axiom AxEMU), Gateway station modules, and the ground infrastructure at KSC are separate multi-billion-dollar lines.
- Orbital refueling: Starship HLS needs many tanker flights per landing; the count is the open question.
- Cadence: SLS flies roughly once a year, so fixed costs sit on very few missions.
Frequently asked
How much did Apollo cost?
About $25.4 billion through 1973 in then-year dollars, roughly $250-300 billion adjusted for inflation depending on the deflator used.
Why does Artemis cost so much per launch?
SLS is expendable, flies rarely, and inherits Shuttle-era contracts. The NASA inspector general has called the per-launch cost unsustainable; commercial landers and Starship are the bet to bring it down.
What NASA is actually flying, and when: Artemis II to V with official dates, the two crew landers and Moon Base.
Run your own numbers
Mass, orbit, vehicle, insurance: the calculator does the delivered-cost math.
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