The Planetary Society
The year 1980 marked the birth of The Planetary Society when three men gathered to launch a new organization. Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman established this American nonprofit with a clear goal. They wanted to champion public support for space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Sagan used his celebrity status to influence the political climate during the early years. His death in 1996 left a significant void that the group had to navigate. Murray and Friedman continued to lead the society through the 1980s and 1990s. Their scientific agenda pushed for increased interest in rover-based planetary exploration. This period laid the groundwork for future advocacy efforts within NASA.
Congress considered cancelling the New Horizons mission to Pluto multiple times during its development phase. Alan Stern served as the principal investigator for the project and credited The Planetary Society with saving it. The organization launched a multi-year campaign to protect the Europa Clipper mission from congressional cancellation in 2013. Members sent over 380,000 letters to their political representatives in support of the Venus mission. John Culberson chaired the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies at the time. The society met frequently with him to argue against budget cuts. In April 2025, they launched a Save NASA Science campaign after the White House proposed cutting funding by 47%. A joint Day of Action took place in Washington D.C. on October 5 and October 6 of that same year.
The Planetary Society crowdfunded two solar sailing space missions starting in 2015. LightSail 1 launched on the 20th of May 2015, and demonstrated a test deployment of its sail. The second craft, LightSail 2, launched on the 25th of June 2019. This spacecraft successfully used sunlight to change its orbit. TIME magazine recognized the mission as one of its 100 Best Inventions of 2019. Popular Science also awarded the project for its technical achievement. Bruce Betts serves as the chief scientist and has consulted with NASA teams working on similar missions. The society published data from these flights in several scientific papers. These successes proved that small spacecraft could use light pressure for propulsion without fuel.
In 1981, the society partnered with NASA to fund Suitcase SETI. This instrument eventually grew into Sentinel, the first dedicated high-resolution survey for extraterrestrial intelligence. Four years later, they collaborated with Steven Spielberg to finance the Megachannel ExtraTerrestrial Array. This became the most advanced SETI search at the time. Subsequent projects included META II and SERENDIP radio surveys. They also supported an all-sky optical SETI survey and the Are we alone in the universe? citizen science initiative. The SETI@home initiative processed SERENDIP data using a volunteer network of personal computers. These efforts demonstrated how private funding could accelerate scientific discovery in the field of astrobiology.
The Shoemaker NEO Grant program began in 1997 to support amateur astronomers globally. Awardees received funds to upgrade their equipment for better observation of near-Earth objects. More than 50 astronomers in over 20 countries have received grants since the program started. Over $500,000 has been awarded to date through this initiative. As of 2025, these grants helped discover nearly 500 NEOs and observe over 19,000 others. Leonardo Amaral discovered a rare kilometer-sized asteroid named 2020 QU6 in 2020. This object is large enough to cause global devastation if it ever hit Earth. No impact is anticipated based on its current orbital trajectory. The society continues to fund research into asteroid deflection and planetary defense strategies.
The Planetary Report magazine has been published quarterly since the organization's founding in 1980. It reaches 40,000 members around the world with news about planetary missions and spacefaring nations. Mat Kaplan hosted and produced the weekly radio program Planetary Radio starting in 2002. Sarah Al-Ahmed became the new host and producer of the show in 2023. Episodes feature conversations with astronomers, engineers, astronauts, and writers who provide insight into space science. The society also releases monthly episodes of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition. Casey Dreier serves as Chief of Space Policy and interviews guests with backgrounds in politics. Social media channels were nominated for two Webby awards as of 2025. Members can send names aboard spacecraft like Spirit, Opportunity, New Horizons, and LightSail 2.
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Common questions
Who founded The Planetary Society and when was it established?
The Planetary Society was established in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman. These three men gathered to launch an American nonprofit organization dedicated to space exploration.
How did The Planetary Society save the New Horizons mission to Pluto?
Alan Stern credited The Planetary Society with saving the New Horizons mission through a multi-year campaign against congressional cancellation. Congress considered cancelling the project multiple times during its development phase before the society intervened.
What solar sailing missions did The Planetary Society crowdfund starting in 2015?
The Planetary Society launched LightSail 1 on the 20th of May 2015 and LightSail 2 on the 25th of June 2019. LightSail 2 successfully used sunlight to change its orbit without fuel, earning recognition from TIME magazine as one of the 100 Best Inventions of 2019.
When did The Planetary Society begin funding amateur astronomers for NEO discovery?
The Shoemaker NEO Grant program began in 1997 to support amateur astronomers globally. As of 2025, these grants helped discover nearly 500 near-Earth objects and observe over 19,000 others across more than 20 countries.
Who hosts the Planetary Radio show produced by The Planetary Society?
Mat Kaplan hosted and produced the weekly radio program Planetary Radio starting in 2002 until Sarah Al-Ahmed became the new host and producer in 2023. Casey Dreier serves as Chief of Space Policy and interviews guests with backgrounds in politics for the monthly Space Policy Edition.