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The Cost of the MAVEN Mission to Mars
The MAVEN mission cost $582.5 million,
nearly $90 million less than originally estimated. Of this total, $366.8 million was for spacecraft development, $187 million was
for its launch, and $28 million was for 2 years of operations during
its primary mission. After beginning its extended mission in 2015, MAVEN's
annual operations cost, on average, $20.5 million per year when
adjusted for inflation.
MAVEN project cost per fiscal year. Future fiscal yeas reflect official projections. The spacecraft launched in 2013 and entered its operational phase by the start of the 2014 fiscal year. Source: Planetary Science Budget Dataset, compiled by Casey Dreier for The Planetary Society (accessible on Google Sheets or downloadable as an Excel file).
| Development | $366.8 million |
| Launch Services (Atlas V 401) | $187 million |
| Prime Mission Operations (2 years) | $28 million |
| Total | $582.5 million |
| Extended mission operations (avg) | $20.5 million / year (inflation adjusted) |
Raw data available in Planetary Exploration Budget Dataset.
MAVEN, studying how Mars lost its atmosphere
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, MAVEN, studies how Mars loses its atmosphere to space. The orbiter also relays communications between surface missions and Earth.