Big Ideas, Bold Visions, and a Bright Future for Mars

The National Space Society 2025 Space Settlement Summit, held at the University of Central Florida (UCF) during their annual Space Week and in partnership with The Economist magazine Space Economy Summit, brought together an inspiring mix of visionaries, entrepreneurs, engineers, researchers, and policy leaders. With a focused theme on the human settlement of Mars, this year’s summit brought compelling keynotes and both academic and commercial perspectives to generate actionable momentum for humanity’s next chapter.

A Dynamic Collaboration: NSS + UCF + The Economist

NSS was proud to partner with UCF and The Economist Space Economy Summit, held immediately after the Space Settlement Summit. The synergy between both events created a week of rich content and collaboration, opening new doors for partnership and elevating NSS’s thought leadership in the space economy.

Highlights From the Summit

The event featured a stellar lineup of speakers, including Rod Pyle, who opened with a keynote on the history of Mars exploration, and Dr. Pascal Lee, who explored how artificial intelligence can shape human missions to the Red Planet. In a compelling fireside chat, commercial astronaut Sharon Hagle reflected on her spaceflight with Blue Origin and offered insights into life off-Earth. A high-level discussion on Martian governance followed, moderated by Dr. Michelle Hanlon. Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton discussed how an interplanetary society might take shape beyond Earth.

The Summit also featured:

• Phil Metzger, who delivered a data-driven analysis on the future economics of space activity, emphasizing infrastructure investment and resource utilization as keys to sustainable settlement on the Moon and Mars.
• Fredrick “Rick” Jenet, NSS Vice President of Technology and Entrepreneurship, who presented on the work of the NSS International Committee. His call to action? “Get out there and talk about what we’re doing!”
• Presentations by Greg Autry (space policy expert and UCF “Space Czar”) and Rick Tumlinson (a leading voice in commercial space and space settlement advocacy).
• Lightning Talks, a new feature that showcased fast-paced presentations from emerging researchers, entrepreneurs, and technologists, which prompted vibrant Q&As and new connections.

What’s Next?

The full abstract book from the summit will be made available soon and will capture the breadth of ideas and proposals shared throughout the two-day gathering.

With strong momentum and promising partnerships formed, NSS is excited to share that plans are already underway to return to UCF in 2026. We will once again work with The Economist and UCF to build on this year’s success to design and develop another stellar event!

Stay tuned for next year’s dates and look for the abstract book to dive deeper into this year’s ideas.