NAICS 927

Space Research & Technology

NAICS 927: Space research and technology — NASA, Artemis program, SpaceX, and government aerospace R&D.

Published by VantaInsights Research·Methodology·Data Sources· AI-drafted
Built on data from Census Bureau CBP Bureau of Labor Statistics Federal Reserve FRED SEC EDGAR

Industry Overview

Space Research and Technology (NAICS 927) covers government agencies engaged in space exploration, research, satellite operations, and aerospace technology development. NASA is the dominant entity, managing human spaceflight, robotic planetary missions, Earth science satellite programs, aeronautics research, and technology development from its network of field centers including Johnson Space Center (Houston), Kennedy Space Center (Florida), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, operated by Caltech), and Goddard Space Flight Center (Maryland).

NASA's economic footprint extends far beyond its approximately 18,000 civil servants. The majority of its annual budget (approximately $25 billion) flows to private contractors — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX lead the prime contractor roster. The Commercial Crew Program awarded SpaceX and Boeing fixed-price contracts for astronaut transportation to the International Space Station, fundamentally changing NASA's procurement model from cost-plus development to commercial service purchase.

The subsector also includes NOAA's satellite division (operating GOES and JPSS weather satellites), the U.S. Space Force's space situational awareness mission, and government-funded research at institutions like the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The National Space Policy and NASA Authorization Acts set strategic direction, while the Outer Space Treaty (1967) and the Artemis Accords (signed by over 30 nations) provide the international legal framework for exploration activities.

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Industry Trends

III

The Artemis program's Space Launch System and Orion capsule (built by Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively) are driving the return to lunar exploration, with Artemis II targeting a crewed lunar flyby and Artemis III planning a surface landing using SpaceX's Starship HLS.

NASA

NASA is transitioning from the International Space Station to commercially operated successors, with Axiom Space building a commercial module and Blue Origin's Orbital Reef competing for post-ISS low-Earth orbit station contracts.

FAA

SpaceX's Starlink mega-constellation and competitors like Amazon's Project Kuiper are creating orbital congestion challenges, elevating space debris tracking and traffic management to a policy priority for the Space Force and FAA.

PACE

Earth observation missions — including the PACE ocean color satellite, NISAR synthetic aperture radar (a NASA-ISRO collaboration), and NOAA's GOES-T weather satellite — are expanding the government's climate and environmental monitoring data infrastructure.

05

The Artemis Accords, signed by over 30 nations, are establishing norms for lunar resource extraction, heritage site protection, and interoperability standards that will govern the next phase of international space cooperation.

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Space Research & Technology

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NAICS 927? ▾
NAICS 927 covers government space research and technology agencies. NASA dominates the subsector, operating from centers including Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, JPL (operated by Caltech), and Goddard Space Flight Center. NOAA's satellite operations and the U.S. Space Force's space awareness mission are also classified here.
How does NASA's contractor spending flow through the economy? ▾
NASA spends approximately 80% of its budget externally through contracts. Boeing builds the Space Launch System core stage, Lockheed Martin builds the Orion capsule, SpaceX provides crew and cargo transportation, and Northrop Grumman builds the solid rocket boosters and Cygnus cargo vehicle. These prime contracts flow down to thousands of subcontractors and suppliers across all 50 states.
What is the Artemis program? ▾
Artemis is NASA's program to return humans to the Moon and establish sustainable lunar presence. Artemis I (uncrewed) flew in 2022. Artemis II will carry a crew around the Moon. Artemis III plans the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17, using SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System. The Gateway lunar station, built with international partners, will serve as a staging platform for surface missions.
How is commercial spaceflight changing NASA's role? ▾
NASA's Commercial Crew Program (SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner) and Commercial Lunar Payload Services contracts shifted the agency from building and operating vehicles to purchasing services from private providers. This fixed-price model reduced per-mission costs and allowed NASA to redirect engineering resources toward deep space exploration while commercial partners serve low-Earth orbit markets.
What are the Artemis Accords? ▾
The Artemis Accords are bilateral agreements between the U.S. and over 30 partner nations establishing principles for peaceful space exploration. They address transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, space debris mitigation, and the extraction and use of space resources. The Accords build on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty while providing more specific operational norms for lunar and deep space activities.

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