FY2025 obligations by the NAICS code on the award
45% of the $2.2B obligated under AR11 in FY2025 went to awards coded NAICS 336414.
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
PSC AR11 is basic research under the space flight, research and supporting activities subfunction. Read the definition and you would expect universities and research institutes. Read the spending and you find something else. FY2025 obligations were $2.2 billion.
Hardware money under a basic research label
336414, Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing, took $995 million. Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences R&D (541715) came second at $820 million, and 336415, Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing, third at $287 million. Engineering services 541330 adds $56 million and nanotechnology R&D 541713 adds $24 million. Two of the top three codes are spacecraft and engine manufacturing. Whatever the stage label says, this is flight hardware money.
Compare it to AR12
AR12, applied research in the same subfunction and almost identical in size, is the mirror image: about 91 percent in one research code and almost no manufacturing. Two codes one stage apart, nearly equal totals, completely different vendor bases. That contrast is the most useful thing AR11 tells you.
PSC versus NAICS, in one line
What the government funded is in the PSC. The industry assigned to the work is in the NAICS code.
Never assume an R&D stage implies a vendor type. Check the NAICS codes.
PSC AR11 FAQ
What does PSC AR11 cover?
Basic research under the space flight, research and supporting activities subfunction, covering work to acquire new knowledge of underlying phenomena in support of space programs.
What NAICS codes win AR11 work?
Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414) led FY2025 at $995 million, ahead of Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences R&D (541715) at $820 million and propulsion unit manufacturing (336415) at $287 million.
Why is manufacturing dominant in a basic research code?
Space research programs are executed through flight hardware contracts held by spacecraft and propulsion manufacturers. The NAICS code reflects the contractor's industry, not the research stage.
How does AR11 compare with AR12?
The two are close in total obligations but structurally opposite. AR12 applied research goes overwhelmingly to R&D codes while AR11 goes to hardware manufacturing codes.