The cost of keeping the International Space Station in orbit will be roughly
three times NASA鈥檚 estimates, according to the investigative arm of the US
Congress. The General Accounting Office (GAO) says that NASA鈥檚 price tag of
$1.3 billion per year doesn鈥檛 include such costs as shuttle flights and
communicating with ground control. The GAO claims these will run to at least
$2.5 billion a year.
NASA has resisted including shuttle launches in the station鈥檚 costs, and
disputes the GAO鈥檚 estimate of $435 million per shuttle flight. It says
the cost of maintaining a shuttle fleet must be left out of the equation,
leaving each flight costing $84 million.