SR-1 Freedom cost put at $2.1 billion, excluding its Mars helicopters

NASA/SR-1 Freedom (Space Reactor-1)

NASA's internal estimate for the nuclear-electric Mars mission is $2.1 billion over four fiscal years, not counting the SkyFall helicopter payload. The plan relies on Congress agreeing to move money from the suspended Lunar Gateway; otherwise the launch would slip two years to 2030.

• Spending profile: $640M (FY26), $890M (FY27), $415M (FY28), $180M (FY29).
• The House Appropriations Committee recommended only $10M for FY27.
• The spacecraft reuses Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element to save time.