NASA to Pay $1.6 Billion for Private Space Taxi Flights
NASA on Monday (Sept. 19) unveiled its plan to offer a $1.61 billion contract to commercial space firms capable of launching private space taxis into orbit.
www.space.comHere’s a concise update on how much astronauts get paid to go into space.
Core answer
- There isn’t a single universal “space flight fee”; astronaut compensation is typically based on their government pay scale or their employer’s salary if they are part of a commercial program. For U.S. government astronauts (NASA), pay is on the General Schedule (GS), often in the range roughly from the low six figures to the mid six figures annually, depending on rank and seniority. Commercial/private astronauts may earn salaries around six figures or more, depending on the company and role.
Context and details
- NASA astronauts: In recent years, NASA has paid astronauts on the GS pay scale, with typical annual pay reported around the six-figure range (for example, around $100k–$195k depending on grade/step and locality pay). Exact figures vary by year and grade, and public sources often cite ranges rather than a single fixed number. This is consistent with the typical federal civilian employee pay framework.
- Private/commercial astronauts: Salaries for private/commercial astronaut roles (e.g., those flying with SpaceX, Blue Origin, Axiom) are reported in various outlets to be higher in some cases, potentially reaching six figures or more for senior positions, though exact figures are often not publicly disclosed and depend on contracts and roles.
- Historical context: The cost to NASA of sending astronauts to space has included seat prices when contracting with partners (e.g., earlier Soyuz seats for NASA missions). Those figures were around tens of millions per seat in past decades, reflecting a different model (agency-to-agency or contractor arrangements) than ongoing personnel compensation.
Illustration
- Example comparisons:
- A NASA astronaut: pay tied to GS grade and years of service; annual salary roughly six figures (e.g., around $100k–$200k depending on steps and locality) before any mission-specific allowances.
- A commercial astronaut: compensation can be higher and is negotiated per mission and company policy; some reports discuss six-figure salaries or higher for senior commercial roles, though exact numbers vary.
If you’d like, I can pull the latest year-specific figures for NASA GS pay scales and summarize them, or compare a few recent sources side-by-side. I can also look up current announced private-mission salary ranges for a couple of major programs (e.g., SpaceX/Axiom) and present a brief table.