Costs of Scientific Missions

[RocketEconomist327]

Ok, I am looking for costs of specific missions.

I found the cost of a Discovery mission of $425 million.

Discovery Missions – These Principal Investigator (PI)-led projects are complete, self-standing, and uncoupled Science Mission Directorate (SMD) investigations.  The total cost to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for each Discovery mission has a not-to-exceed cost cap ($425M in the 2006 Announcement of Opportunity (AO)) to cover the complete mission, including spacecraft development, mission operations, data analysis, and education and public outreach.

I found the cost of a New Frontiers mission of less than $700 million.

The New Frontiers Program seeks to contain total mission cost and development time and improve performance through the use of validated new technologies, efficient management, and control of design, development and operations costs while maintaining a strong commitment to flight safety. The cost for the entire mission must be less than $700 million.

However, I cannot find source material for costs of Flagship program missions or Explorer program missions.  Maybe my google-fu is off but if someone could throw some links my way I sure would appreciate it.

VR
RE327

[hop]

Explorer: http://explorers.gsfc.nasa.gov/missions.html

AFAIK flagship don't have a specific limit, though obviously there is a practical limit determined by NASAs budget.

[RocketEconomist327]

Thank you, so its $180 million for a medium explorer mission... anyone know how much a full up explorer would be?  I have been told its $325 million but I cannot find it anywhere.

Also I have been told that flagships are between $2 and $3 billion.

Hop,

Thank you Sir or Ma'am

VR
RE327

[ngc3314]

For the current Explorer 2011 decision, the proposal document states that the PI mission cost is limited to $200 million. This does not include launch; the document states that the exact launcher is not determined (to be contracted with one of several providers); only the fairing size is stated. "Large" Explorers have been so infrequent that comparison from one to the next is very difficult - the rules can change on faster timescales.

[RocketEconomist327]

For the current Explorer 2011 decision, the proposal document states that the PI mission cost is limited to $200 million. This does not include launch; the document states that the exact launcher is not determined (to be contracted with one of several providers); only the fairing size is stated. "Large" Explorers have been so infrequent that comparison from one to the next is very difficult - the rules can change on faster timescales.

You are a GOD among men.  Thank you so much!