Space mission · United States

How much did NuSTAR cost to build?

NuSTAR is a NASA Science Mission Directorate project that the NASA Office of Inspector General lists as 'NuStar' in its September 2015 audit of the joint cost and schedule confidence level process, with a baseline of September 2009, a project life-cycle cost of 161 million dollars and an actual or expected launch in June 2012. Its actual development cost was 116 million dollars against a 110 million baseline.

Published project estimate

$161 million

Cost basis: 2009

Artist's concept of NuSTAR on orbit. NuSTAR has a 10-m (30') mast that deploys after launch to separate the optics modules (right) from the detectors in the focal plane (left). The spacecraft, which controls NuSTAR's pointings, and the solar panels are with the focal plane. NuSTAR has two identical optics modules in order to increase sensitivity.
NASA/JPL-CaltechPublic domain

Cost evidence

Basis of the published figure

Published project estimate2009
NASA

Project record

2012

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