World's most expensive scientific projects: Price of groundbreaking discoveries
The price of humanity's greatest breakthroughs revealed (Photo: Pexels)
The most ambitious scientific experiments often cost more than the space programs of entire nations.
BGR has compiled a list of the most expensive scientific projects in history—projects that cost humanity billions of dollars and, in some cases, tens of thousands of lives.
Project costs are listed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise specified. The projects are ranked from the least expensive to the most expensive (Editor's note).
Very Large Array (VLA) Radio Telescope — $78.5 million
Timeline: Approved in 1972, completed in 1980.
Budget: $78.5 million in 1972 (approximately $627 million adjusted to 2026 dollars).
Located in New Mexico, the complex consists of 28 radio antennas that operate together as a single giant telescope, producing high-resolution images of black holes and neutron stars.
Preparations are currently underway for a major upgrade of the project to the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), with an estimated cost of around $2 billion.
NEPTUNE Underwater Observatory — $79 million
Timeline: Construction began in 2007.
Budget: CAD 111 million (approximately USD 79 million), plus an additional CAD 17 million in annual operating costs.
Created by Ocean Networks Canada, NEPTUNE is the world's largest underwater observatory. It features more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) of high-speed fiber-optic cable laid across the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
One of the project's standout features is its deep-sea remotely operated vehicles, Wally and Wally 2.
Manhattan Project — $2.2 billion
Timeline: 1942–1945
Budget: $2.2 billion at the time (more than $40 billion adjusted to 2026 dollars).
The Manhattan Project was a top-secret U.S.-led program, carried out with Allied support, to develop the world's first nuclear weapons. Thousands of scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada worked on the project.
It produced three atomic bombs: Trinity, used in the first-ever nuclear test; Little Boy, dropped on Hiroshima; and Fat Man, used in the bombing of Nagasaki.
The project's scientific director was Robert Oppenheimer, while General Leslie Groves served as its military leader.
The project also included dedicated funding for the ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Implications) program, which examines the ethical and legal consequences of using genetic data.
Large Hadron Collider (CERN) — $4.75 billion
Timeline: Built between 1998 and 2008.
Budget: Approximately $4.75 billion.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest particle accelerator, is located in a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel beneath the border between Switzerland and France.
In 2012, it was used to discover the Higgs boson, often referred to as the "God particle."
The collider is currently being upgraded to the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). By 2038, construction is expected to begin on a new $23 billion particle accelerator.
NASA's Apollo Program — $25.4 billion
Timeline: 1960–1972
Budget: $25.4 billion (equivalent to approximately $203 billion in 2026 dollars, adjusted for inflation).
Announced by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, NASA's Apollo program was the United States' ambitious effort to land humans on the Moon.
The program culminated in the historic Apollo 11 mission, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
International Space Station (ISS) — $150 billion
Timeline: The first module was launched in 1998, with the mission scheduled to end in 2030.
Budget: Approximately $150 billion in total costs, including around $3 billion in annual operating expenses and an additional $1 billion allocated for its planned deorbiting.
The International Space Station (ISS) is the most expensive and ambitious international scientific project in history, built through the joint efforts of the United States, Japan, Canada, European nations, and other international partners.
The station serves both as an orbiting research laboratory and a global diplomatic platform, fostering scientific collaboration among countries around the world.
