The Society is dedicated to the scientific exploration of the Solar System, the search for extraterrestrial life, and defending Earth from potentially hazardous near-Earth objects.[3] The society's mission is stated as: "Empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration."[4] The Planetary Society is a strong advocate for space funding and missions of exploration, particularly within NASA. They engage Congress and encourage residents of the United States to speak up in support of NASA, with annual in-person advocacy at their Day of Action in Washington, D.C.[4][5] The Planetary Society has organized campaigns that have been credited with helping prevent the cancellation of the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the VERITAS mission to Venus[6]. It has also organized major efforts in support of the Europa Clipper and NEO Surveyor missions[7][8].
In addition to advocacy, The Planetary Society sponsors science and technology projects related to the search for life, planetary exploration, and asteroid defense[9]. It has supported several major SETI surveys to look for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, including a collaboration with Steven Spielberg that financed the most advanced SETI survey at the time[10]. In 2011, a microgravity experiment built by The Planetary Society was tested aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour[11][12], and in 2015, The Society crowdfunded a pair of spacecraft to demonstrate solar sailing technology[13]. The first, LightSail 1, launched on May 20, 2015,[14] and performed a test deployment of its solar sail on June 7, 2015.[15]LightSail 2 launched on June 25, 2019,[16] and successfully used sunlight to change its orbit.[17]
To promote public engagement with space science and exploration, The Planetary Society also regularly produces articles, videos, the Planetary Radio podcast[18], children’s books[19], and educational programming[20]. It publishes a quarterly magazine, The Planetary Report, and hosts in-person events around the world[21]. As of 2025, The Planetary Society’s social media channels have been nominated for two Webby awards[22].
History
The Planetary Society was founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman as a champion of public support of space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Until the death of Carl Sagan in 1996, the Society was led by Sagan, who used his celebrity and political clout to influence the political climate of the time, including protecting SETI in 1981 from congressional cancellation. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Society pushed its scientific and technologic agenda, which led to an increased interest in rover-based planetary exploration and NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto.[citation needed]
In addition to its political affairs the Society has created a number of space related projects and programs. The SETI program began with Paul Horowitz's Suitcase SETI and has grown to encompass searches in radio and optical wavelengths from the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth. SETI@home, the largest distributed computing experiment on Earth, is perhaps the Society's best-known SETI project. Other projects include the development of the Mars Microphone instrument which flew on the failed Mars Polar Lander project, as well as two LightSail projects, solar sail technology demonstrators designed to determine whether space travel is possible by using only sunlight.[citation needed]
In March 2025, The Planetary Society held its annual Day of Action, a large gathering of space advocates in Washington, D.C., advocating for strong and consistent NASA funding amid rumors of potential budget cuts to the agency's science programs by the second Donald Trump administration.[23] Simultaneously, the Society supported the successful landing of the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the Moon days earlier on March 2, 2025, which carried their PlanetVac sample collection technology. The month also saw the release of the "Planetary Report" with a new design and the live taping of a Planetary Radio episode in Washington, D.C. that marked the first appearance of Mat Kaplan. On July 30, 2025, The Planetary Society and all other space advocacy organizations announced the Day of Action on October 5 and October 6.[24]
Program summary
The Planetary Society currently runs seven different program areas with a number of programs in each area:
The Planetary Society is currently governed by a 12-member volunteer board of directors chosen for their passion about and knowledge of space exploration. The Board has a chairman, President, and Vice President and an Executive Committee, and normally meets twice per year to set the Society's policies and future directions. Nominations are sought and considered periodically from a variety of sources, including from members of the Board and Advisory Council, Society Members, staff, and experts in the space community.[25] On June 7, 2010, the Society announced that American science educator Bill Nye would become the new executive director of the society.[26]
Board of Directors
The Planetary Society's current board of directors[27] consists of:
The Planetary Society sponsors science and technology projects to seed further exploration. All of these projects are funded by the Society's members and donors. Some projects include:
The Planetary Report is the quarterly internationally recognized flagship magazine of The Planetary Society, featuring articles and full-color photos to provide comprehensive coverage of discoveries on Earth and other planets. It went from bimonthly to quarterly with the June (summer solstice) 2011 issue.
This magazine reaches 60,000 members of The Planetary Society all over the world, with news about planetary missions, spacefaring nations, space explorers, planetary science controversies, and the latest findings in humankind's exploration of the Solar System. Beginning in September 2018, it is edited by Emily Lakdawalla.[29]
Planetary Radio
The Planetary Society also produces Planetary Radio, a weekly 30-minute radio program and podcast hosted and produced by Sarah Al-Ahmed. The show's programming consists mostly of interviews and telephone-based conversations with scientists, engineers, project managers, artists, writers, astronauts, and many other professionals who can provide some insight or perspective into the current state of space exploration.
Science and Technology Empowered by the Public program
In 2022, the Planetary Society awarded its first grants as part of its Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP) program. The inaugural grant winners were a team from University of California, Los Angeles for a SETI project and a team from University of Belgrade, Serbia, for a planetary defense project.[30]
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