Mark Kelly Net Worth: From the Stars to the Senate with $34 Million

Mark Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and naval aviator, and current Senator for the state of Arizona. The American politician is one of the wealthiest members of the US Congress and was one of the top contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate for her presidential campaign. In 2024, Mark Kelly’s net worth is between $10 million and $34 million.

Kelly’s versatile career has allowed him to earn millions and he remains in the spotlight even today. To learn more about the famous politician’s career and fortune, keep reading.

Mark Kelly’s Net Worth Breakdown:

Because of Mark Kelly’s very public, political career, he’s been required to disclose his financial details on several occasions. The disclosed data shows us what sources and assets have helped Senator Mark Kelly accumulate such a steep net worth.

Even though his 2024 financial disclosure is months past due at the moment, Mark Kelly’s previous financial filings give us a clear snapshot of what he’s worth and what his assets are. In this article, we’ll discuss them in detail but first, take a look at our breakdown of Mark Kelly’s net worth below.

Mark Kelly Net Worth: Early Life and Education

Mark Edward Kelly was born on February 21, 1964, in Orange, New Jersey. He has an identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, who is also an astronaut. His parents are Richard and Patricia, both retired police officers.

The famous politician was raised in West Orange, New Jersey, where he graduated from Mountain High School in 1982. Four years later, he obtained his marine engineering and nautical science degree from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, with the highest honors.

In 1994, Kelly received an MSc in aeronautical engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School. At this time, he was already serving in the Navy.

Personal Life

Mark Kelly married Amelia Victoria Babis in 1989, but they divorced in 2004. They have two daughters, Claudia and Claire.

In 2007, Mark Kelly married US Representative Gabrielle Giffords (Gabby), who he met in 2003 on a trip to China. The two had been planning to grow their family, with Gabby Giffords receiving fertility treatment to try and begin a pregnancy. However, their plans and their lives changed forever in 2011, when a gunman opened fire at an event called Congress on Your Corner in Tucson, and shot Gabby Giffords in the head. She survived and is now an anti-gun violence advocate.

Mark Kelly Net Worth: How a Navy Captain turned NASA Astronaut turned Politician

Mark Kelly’s journey is as versatile as it gets, with some major career changes and three highly successful careers. He started his journey in the Navy, transitioning to a career as an astronaut, and then to a famed politician. Let’s see how this contributed to Mark Kelly’s net worth over the years.

Career in the Navy

In 1987, Mark Kelly became a naval aviator. He pursued his initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft and was subsequently assigned to Attack Squadron 115 at NAF Atsugi in Japan.

During his naval career, Kelly was deployed twice with VA-115 to the Persian Gulf aboard the same aircraft carrier, USS Midway. During Operation Desert Storm, he flew a total of 39 combat missions and as a naval aviator, he has logged over 5,000 hours in 50 different aircraft.

Career as a NASA Astronaut

In 1996, NASA selected both Mark and his brother Scott Kelly to be Space Shuttle pilots, so the brothers joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in August of the same year. To date, Kelly has spent over 54 days in space.

The now-retired astronaut has been on some incredible journeys as a Navy pilot and commander. Let’s take a closer look into his space shuttle endeavor and what it included:

STS-108

Mark Kelly’s first space trip started on December 5, 2001. After several delays, Endeavor STS-108 lifted off with Kelly as its pilot. The shuttle delivered equipment and supplies as well as a fresh crew to the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting outpost, with the Expedition 3 crew ending their 117-day residency on the ISS on December 8. On this trip, Mark Kelly traveled 4.8 million miles, orbiting the Earth 186 times over less than 12 days.

STS-121

Five years after his first visit to space, Kelly piloted STS-121 Discovery. The shuttle mission launched on July 4, intending to test new repair and safety techniques and deliver supplies to the ISS. On this trip, Kelly orbited the Earth 202 times over less than 13 days.

STS-124

STS-124 was a very important mission for Mark Kelly since this was his first one as commander. The goal of the mission was to carry components of the Kibo laboratory to the ISS. On this mission, Kelly orbited the Earth 218 times and traveled over 5.7 million miles, all in less than 14 days.

STS-134

Mark Kelly was the commander of the last mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, with his crew delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the ISS. This was his final mission to space, and while he was scheduled to go to the ISS at the same time as his brother, making it the only sibling encounter in space, STS-134’s launch was delayed. After his wife was shot, Kelly’s status wasn’t clear but, on February 4, 2011, he announced his intention to remain commander of the mission.

Retiring from the Navy

In June 2011, Mark Kelly announced his retirement from NASA and the US Navy. This was effective in October of the same year, and announced on his Facebook page, where he shared the following:

“Words cannot convey my deep gratitude for the opportunities I have been given to serve our great nation. From the day I entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the summer of 1982 to the moment I landed the Space Shuttle Endeavour three weeks ago, it has been my privilege to advance the ideals that define the United States of America.”

Honors in the Navy

In total, Mark Kelly spent 25 years as a Naval fighter pilot and space shuttle astronaut. In his time in the Navy and with NASA, he has received many honors and awards, including:

• Two Defense Superior Service Medals
• Four Air Medals
• One Legion of Merit
• Two Distinguished Flying Crosses
• Two Navy Commendation Medals
• Two Southwest Asia Service Medals
• One Navy Achievement Medal
• One Navy Expeditionary Medal
• One NASA Distinguished Service Medal
• Two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons
• One Overseas Service Ribbon

Kelly’s Political Career

In January 2013, Kelly and his wife Giffords started Americans for Responsible Solutions, a political action committee. The mission of this organization is to promote gun control and solutions to violence with elected officials. Three years later, their committee joined the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, launching an organization called Giffords.

Running for United States Senator

In 2019, Kelly announced his candidacy for the US Senate special election in Arizona. When the election came, he defeated Republican Martha McSally, becoming the first candidate of the Democratic Party to win the seat since 1962.

His election also marked the first time that Arizona has had two Democratic senators since 1953. Kelly is the fourth retired astronaut elected to Congress, following in the footsteps of Harrison Schmitt, Jack Swigert, and John Glenn.

In 2022, he won the reelection by defeating Republican Blake Masters and, when Kyrsten Sinema leaves the US Senate in 2025, he will become the senior senator from Arizona.

Kelly’s political salary is $174,000 per year, which significantly contributes to his net worth.

What Else Contributes to Mark Kelly’s Net Worth?

Mark Kelly made his fortune not only through his visits to the International Space Station. He made the bulk of his net worth before he even started his political career. Other sources of Mark Kelly’s net worth include his book deals and book sales, his business investments, the money he earns from speaking engagements, as well as his real estate assets.

Authorship

In 2011, Mark Kelly and Giffords co-authored a biographical book for the two of them titled Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love, and Resilience. The book speaks of the assassination attempt on Kelly’s wife and her recovery and is written in Kelly’s voice.

This wasn’t the only book Kelly wrote, though. Here’s a list of Kelly’s books over the years:

• Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story in 2012, a children’s book and a New York Times number one bestseller
• Mousetronaut Goes to Mars in 2013, a sequel
• Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence in 2014, co-authored with his wife
• Astrotwins: Project Blastoff in 2015, co-authored with Martha Freeman
• Astrotwins: Project Rescue in 2016, a sequel
• Marillion, Misadventures & Marathons: The Life & Times of Mad Jack in 2022
• Mousetronaut Saves the World in 2024, a sequel

In terms of book earnings, Kelly’s latest filing shared that he earned $5,763 in royalties from the publisher Simon and Schuster in 2022. He also listed book deals for six books between 2011 and 2021, including the two he co-wrote with his wife. Still, the details of his total book earnings from deals and sales remain undisclosed.

Investments and Work in Aerospace

Mark Kelly was the strategic advisor and co-founder of a high-altitude balloon company called World View Enterprises. The details of his investment in the near-space exploration company haven’t been disclosed to the public.

In 2013, Kelly served as Director of Flight Crew Operations, assisting the development of a new craft. In 2019, he left World View Enterprises to focus on his political career.

As of 2021, Kelly holds over $100,000 worth of World View stock through a blind trust.

Speaking Engagements

Mark Kelly’s net worth has also been boosted by his paid speeches over the years. Between 2011 and 2016, he delivered a large number of speeches in the United States and China on behalf of the company Shaklee, a marketing distributor of nutritional supplements.

“I took Shaklee vitamins and the Shaklee rehydration drink while in orbit aboard the space shuttle,” he shared with the crowds.

In addition to this, Kelly has made several speeches to the Mortgage Bankers Association, bank Goldman Sachs, and pharmaceutical company AmerisourceBergen, among other businesses.

Even though he most likely earns a lot from speaking engagements considering his position in business and society, Kelly hasn’t reported any compensation from speeches in the last three annual filings. We did find some data for the previous years, though.

According to reports, he received $337,000 in payments to charity for 13 speeches in 2020. In 2019, he reported speech earnings for a total of 62 events, the highest being $58,250 from Subaru, the auto manufacturer.

In the two years (2016-2017) before his Senate campaign, Kelly Mark reportedly earned $1.7 million from those 62 events, averaging $27,419 per speech. His highest-paying speaking engagements include:

• $25,500 for a speech to the American Society of Dermatological Surgery
• $29,750 for the Sexual Medicine Society of North America
• $58,250 for the yogurt company Subaru
• $55,250 for the consulting company Pink Tank

Board Membership and Consulting

In addition to speaking fees, Mark Kelly reportedly earned $1.5 million from board memberships and consulting fees. However, in 2020, when he was elected to the Senate, he stepped down from his many board positions.

Some of the Senate committee assignments of Mark Kelly are:

• Committee on Armed Services
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Special Committee on Aging
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
• Joint Economic Committee

Blind Trust

According to records, Senator Mark Kelly and his wife also hold large sums in blind trusts. They reportedly have between $6.6 million and $31 million in qualified blind trusts. Some of these trusts include:

• The Kelly Qualified Blind Trust worth between $5 million and $25 million
• Northern Trust bank deposit valued between half a million and $1 million
• Mark Kelly Traditional Individual Retirement Account Qualified Blind Trust No. 1 valued between $1 million and $5 million
• Jackson National Life Insurance Company insurance worth between half a million and $1 million
• Gabrielle Giffords Traditional Individual Retirement Account Qualified Blind Trust No.1 valued between half a million and $1 million

Kelly has also reported that he received $15,000 in 2022 from Lightspeed Partners, a production company he manages with his brother Scott.

Kelly’s Real Estate Investments

Part of Kelly’s substantial net worth is invested in real estate. In 2012, he and his wife spent $1.495 million to acquire a home in Tucson, Arizona, which is worth double that sum today.

What Can We Learn from Mark Kelly’s Story?

Mark Kelly’s story teaches us the importance of establishing a solid financial foundation in life. Before venturing into politics, Kelly’s career as a Navy captain, test pilot, and astronaut provided him with significant financial standing.

This foundation helped him transition smoothly into his role as an American politician, pursuing a passion he has worked on for years. At this point, Kelly was able to make sure that his financial stability wasn’t compromised as he pursued public service. A good financial base gives people the freedom to make career choices driven by purpose and passion, rather than necessity. This is a lesson that will resonate with anyone aiming to achieve financial independence.

Mark Kelly’s net worth at the point where he left the military service counted millions of dollars, allowing him to invest heavily in health insurance, retirement benefits, and trusts that contribute not only to security but also financial success.

Another key takeaway from Kelly’s story is the value of military service in shaping a disciplined, strategic mindset. Kelly’s military background honed his leadership skills and instilled in him a sense of duty and perseverance. These skills have been instrumental in his political career.

Kelly’s investment strategy showcases the importance of creating a solid base for yourself. Over the years, he has diversified his portfolio, making wise investments and ensuring a steady stream of passive income. This strategy includes a reliable source of cash flow from businesses, speaking fees, and much more – all of which enhanced his financial standing.