Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Viking mission cost breakdown

A treemap visualizing the major subprogram elements of the Viking project, including lander costs, orbiter costs, science instruments, operations, and program management.

Viking was not a single program, but a four-spacecraft fleet. NASA built two landers and two orbiters, each managed at separate NASA centers, and the orbiter/lander combo required the most powerful rocket available at the time to launch them, the new Titan III.

Download Options