A recent economic impact report from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration found that Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center supports 24,400 jobs in the state of Alabama with an economic impact of $4.3 billion.
The report also noted that Marshall contributes $105 million in local and state taxes.
Much of that economic impact is currently coming from NASA’s Space Launch System, the rocket program that aims to eventually send astronauts to Mars.
Specifically, SLS has a $2.3 billion economic impact in the state, responsible for 14,000 jobs and $58 million in tax revenue. Boeing, the primary contract for SLS, employs more than 3,000 workers at its campus on Redstone Arsenal.
Outside of employment numbers and tax dollars, Marshall is also contributing resources to further develop Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education starting in elementary school and continuing on through college. The center has provided $18.1 million in STEM grants to schools and colleges and more than $5.5 to non profit institutions.
“In this new era of human spaceflight, NASA is contributing to economies locally and nationally, fueling growth in industries that will define the future, and supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in America,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a press release. “With an investment of just one-half of 1% of the federal budget, NASA generates significant total economic output annually. This study confirms, and puts numbers, to what we have long understood – that taxpayer investment in America’s space program yields tremendous returns that strengthen our nation on several fronts – a stronger economy, advances in science and technology, and improvements to humanity.”
The study was conducted by the Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement at the University of Illinois at Chicago. See the full rundown specific to Marshall Space Flight Center HERE.