“We’re looking for amazing business plans that address some part of the human expansion into space.” — Isaac Arthur, NSS President
The National Space Society’s annual Martine Rothblatt Space Settlement business plan competition for 2026 is accepting entries through midnight, Pacific Time, February 15, 2026. The competition challenges students, academicians, entrepreneurs, and the broader space community to develop compelling business plans that will help to enable space settlement in the coming decades. Three awards of $16,000, $10,000, and $6,000 USD are granted for the best business plans that will help to advance our expansion beyond Earth.
Dr. Rothblatt has been a pioneer in satellite communications, founding the Sirius XM radio network in 1990. They later became the chairperson and CEO of United Therapeutics, a biotechnology company devoted to prolonging human life. Their trailblazing work in organ replacement has saved countless lives and will be a key technology in creating sustainable communities in space. Dr. Rothblatt’s vision for space settlement is vast, encompassing the next century of human migration into space.
“We’re looking for amazing business plans that address some part of the human expansion into space,” said Isaac Arthur, NSS President. “Dr. Rothblatt has been a pioneer in ground-breaking technologies, and challenges anyone to submit their business plan for this competition.”
Three finalists will be invited to the NSS annual International Space Development Conference in McLean, Virginia (Washington DC area), which runs from June 4-7, 2026. One representative from each winning team will have their travel expenses covered to attend the finals at the conference, and the final rankings and awards will be issued that day.
The competition is open to anyone, of any age, anywhere on Earth (local laws and restrictions may apply). Those wishing to enter must create a compelling space-oriented business plan that follows the guidelines outlined on the competition website at spacebizplan.nss.org. Please also view the video presentations posted for more details on a successful business plan. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2026. All business plan submissions should be made in PDF format and will be considered final.
