The Planetary Society

The Planetary Society is an American internationally-active non-governmental nonprofit organization. It is involved in research, public outreach, and political space advocacy for projects related to astronomy, planetary science, and space exploration. It was founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman. It is currently led by Jennifer Vaughn as CEO, with Bill Nye as Chief Ambassador and Vice Chairman. The Planetary Society encompasses a community of over 2 million space enthusiasts and 40,000 members from more than 80 countries around the world. It is largely funded by individual donations.

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. The society's mission is stated as: "Empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration." 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. 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. It has also organized major efforts in support of the Europa Clipper and NEO Surveyor missions.

In addition to advocacy, The Planetary Society sponsors science and technology projects related to the search for life, planetary exploration, and asteroid defense. 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. In 2011, a microgravity experiment built by The Planetary Society was tested aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, and in 2015, The Society crowdfunded a pair of spacecraft to demonstrate solar sailing technology. The first, LightSail 1, launched on May 20, 2015, and performed a test deployment of its solar sail on June 7, 2015. LightSail 2 launched on June 25, 2019, and successfully used sunlight to change its orbit.

To promote public engagement with space science and exploration, The Planetary Society also regularly produces articles, videos, the Planetary Radio podcast, children’s books, and educational programming. It publishes a quarterly magazine, The Planetary Report, and hosts in-person events around the world. As of 2025, The Planetary Society’s social media channels have been nominated for two Webby awards.