Announcement

Juno's view of "Clyde's Spot" on Jupiter. Credit NASA/JPL

We are excited to announce the Space Futures Initiative, which has a mission of conducting research, promoting education, and engaging in outreach to improve the long-term future in outer space.

We believe sharing longtermist ideas within the space community and researching scalable space governance frameworks are currently neglected areas. Conducting these activities requires engagement and input from the longtermist community, space policy community, space industry, scientific community, and beyond. The Space Futures Initiative aims to bring together students and academic researchers, produce valuable long-term space futures research, and collaborate with key stakeholders to discuss positive long-term space futures that benefit all of humanity.

Our initial activities include the following:

The ongoing proliferation of space activities has outpaced our ability to develop appropriate norms and governance structures for a sustainable future in outer space. Furthermore, emerging technologies might radically transform our long-term trajectory in space. As a result, right now is a crucial time to consider what positive outcomes in outer space look like.

The Space Futures Initiative is intended to be a collaboration among effective altruists, longtermists, astrophysicists, engineers, legal scholars, social scientists, philosophers, and others interested in long-term space futures. While our primary focus is conducting and disseminating research, we also interface with key stakeholders in dialogue on outer space, including the commercial sector and advocacy organizations.

We are appreciative of our early supporters and excited about further collaboration with organizations including the Center for Space Governance and Simon Institute for Longterm Governance. Our directors are Madeleine Chang, Carson Ezell, and Olaf Willner.

We are also excited to collaborate with more organizations and individuals interested in our mission. The following are specific ways in which you may be able to provide support or get involved: