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The Cost of NASA's Phoenix Mission to Mars
The Phoenix mission cost $420 million. Of this total, $321 million was for spacecraft development, $86.2 million was for its launch, and $12.6 million was for its primary mission. There was no extended mission as Phoenix did not survive its first martian winter.
NASA's Phoenix mission costs per fiscal year. The mission launched in August 2007 and landed in May 2008. The final signal was received on 2 Nov 2008. Source: Planetary Science Budget Dataset, compiled by Casey Dreier for The Planetary Society (accessible on Google Sheets or downloadable as an Excel file).
| Development | $321.2 million |
| Launch Services (Delta II) | $86.2 million |
| Prime Mission Operations (5 months) | $12.6 million |
| Total | $420 million |
Raw data available in Planetary Exploration Budget Dataset.
Mars, the red planet
Mars once had liquid water on the surface and could have supported life. We don't know how it changed to the cold, dry desert-world it is today.