It is very expensive to launch something into space and even more expensive to operate it! However there have been some very expensive mistakes made in space. As you will see in the examples below, some of them were resolved, while others were not.
10: Japanese Satellite Crash
In 2003, Japan attempted to launch two spy satellites in orbit; they were using a cheaper rocket called the H-IIA. However, during launch, the rocket malfunctioned and exploded. Japan lost 78 million dollars and had to completely redesign the H-IIA rocket.
9: No Antenna
In 1989, NASA launched the Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter. The spacecraft was supposed to use a cheap and new technology for its long range antenna; this new antenna would unfold like an umbrella, saving space and money while in space. However, the antenna when opening up got stuck, and no matter what the mission team tried, they couldn’t get it to open. Fortunately the mission was saved by a smaller back up antenna, and Galileo was able to fulfill a successful 8 years at Jupiter. However, its main antenna was never used and reportedly cost NASA around 100 million dollars to build.
8: Solar Panel Rip
The Solar Panels on the International Space Station (ISS) are an interesting design. When NASA was building the ISS, they needed a way to transport the 212 foot solar panels. So they built them to roll up and out like paper. However, they were also very thin, which meant they could rip if astronauts were not careful when putting them on the space station. Unfortunately this exact thing happened in 2007; astronauts on the ISS were transporting the solar panels to another spot on the ISS. However when the solar panels unrolled, they ripped. Even though the astronauts came up with a solution and patched it up, it still meant that the 103 million dollar solar panel had ripped.
7: Never Getting Out
In 2012, Russia launched their first mission to Mars in almost 40 years. However, they were on a very cheap budget. And unfortunately they had to use decade old parts for the mission. These parts broke down while in orbit, meaning that the mission was stuck in low Earth orbit forever. Russia lost a reported 170 million dollars from this mistake.
6: Meters Or Feet?
Getting to Mars is a difficult challenge and very expensive. In 1999, NASA launched Mars Climate Orbiter. The mission was simple: enter in an orbit around Mars to study the weather and climate on the Red Planet. Unfortunately just days before the spacecraft was to fire its engine to get into orbit, a technician entered the wrong units. NASA uses metric units for space missions, mainly because it is simpler to use. However this technician entered English units inside the codes. The spacecraft’s computer became confused and it crashed into Mars. The spacecraft cost 193.1 million to build and 42.8 million dollars to operate, so in total NASA lost 235.6 million dollars.
5: The Lost Satellite
In August 2011, Russia launched a brand new communication satellite into space. However, once it reached space, the satellite’s computer glitched and flew off into space. They never heard from it again. This glitch cost Russia 300 million dollars.
4: Schiaparelli Meets Mars
In 2003, the European Space Agency (ESA) tried and failed to land on Mars. 13 years later, they decided to try again, this time with a small lander named Schiparelli. The spacecraft was supposed to enter into Mars’ atmosphere and deploy a parachute. After that, it was supposed to disconnect from the parachute and use its own rockets to slowly descend towards the surface and then cut off its engines at 3 feet. Unfortunately, the spacecraft suffered a glitch, and instead of shutting off its engines at 3 feet, it shut them off at 300 feet above the surface. The spacecraft plowed into the Martian surface, and ESA lost a shocking 464 million dollars.
3: Luna 25 Crashes
In August 2023, Russia and India were in a race to the Moon's South Pole. Russia launched Luna 25, their first mission to the Moon in 47 years. Russia had been planning Luna 25 since 2005 and they intended to beat India. Luna 25 was launched before India was able to launch their Chandrayaan-3 probe. It seemed like Russia would win the Moon race. However, when Luna 25 was supposed to enter in an orbit around the Moon, the spacecraft's navigation system glitched and the spacecraft was sent tumbling down to the surface. Russia lost a huge 500 million dollars, adjusted for inflation.
2: Hubble Trouble
The Hubble Space Telescope is a marvelous tool, however it has cost NASA an arm and a leg to repair it! Back when it was first launched in 1990, the space telescope first sent back fuzzy and blurry images. After an investigation, NASA technicians discovered that the 13-foot mirror on the space telescope had moved off by about 1/50th the thickness of a human hair. NASA would have to send up a whole shuttle crew and pay 700 million dollars just to repair it. However Hubble would continue to have problems, and in the next 20 years NASA would have to send up 4 different space shuttle missions to repair it. NASA spent an estimated 2-3 billion dollars on repairing Hubble.
1: Russia’s Failed Moon Program
Russia and the United States were in a space race back in the 1960s to put a man on the Moon. The United States managed to pull it off in 1969, but Russia was not as lucky. Although they scored some early victories, such as launching the first satellite and man into space, they failed to reach the Moon because of design flaws inside their Moon rocket. From 1969-1972, they launched an unmanned rocket called the N1, a rocket intended to take their people to the moon 4 times. All of these tests ended in an explosion. In 1973, Russia scrapped their Moon program, but not before they had lost a towering 3.61 billion dollars.