Four years ago, NASA estimated that $93 billion would be spent on Artemis between 2012 and 2025 — far more than previous estimates. Although the program officially began in 2017, construction of the rocket began much earlier.

But according to the latest audit report, costs have risen since then. While exploiting the Moon's resources could bring potential economic rewards, that's still a long way off.

But NASA argues that the program in its current form brings significant benefits to the American economy.
The latest data from the organization shows that it employs nearly 20,000 people generating $75.6 billion in economic output.

The second argument is that the US cannot afford to lose to its rivals. At a 2024 hearing of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology to assess NASA’s programs, the chairman, Republican Representative Frank Lucas, said: “I remind my colleagues that we are not the only country interested in sending people to the Moon. The Chinese Communist Party […] has declared its ambition to have human astronauts on the surface by 2030. “The country that lands first will have the ability to set a precedent for whether future lunar activities will be conducted with openness and transparency or in a more limited manner.”