In 1980, Carl Sagan, Louis Friedman, and Bruce Murray founded The Planetary Society. They saw enormous public interest in space that was not reflected by government investment, as NASA’s budget was cut again and again. They established The Planetary Society to give anyone from anywhere in the world an active role in advancing space exploration.

Today, The Planetary Society continues this work, under the leadership of CEO Jenn Vaughn, as the world’s largest and most influential non-profit space organization. The organization is registered 501(c)3 non-profit and engages a global community of more than 2 million space enthusiasts.

Anyone can become a member. Through advocacy, education outreach, scientific innovation, and global collaboration, membership funds our mission to:

• increase discoveries in our Solar System and beyond
• elevate the search for life outside our planet
• decrease the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid