Cash Prizes Will be Awarded at the NSS Annual Conference in June 2026
The National Space Society’s sixth annual Martine Rothblatt Space Settlement in Our Lifetime business plan competition is currently accepting entries, but the cutoff is on 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.
“Dr. Rothblatt’s vision for space settlement explores every facet of our ultimate journey beyond Earth,” said Isaac Arthur, President of the National Space Society. “Martine foresees flourishing communities in free-floating space habitats, and their vision pushes the boundaries of space settlement. Our hope is that the Space Settlement in Our Lifetime business plan competition will continue to encourage advances in this exciting aspect of space entrepreneurship.”
Three finalists will be invited to the NSS annual International Space Development Conference in McLean, Virginia, which runs from June 4-7, 2026. One representative from each winning team will have travel expenses covered to attend the finals at the conference, and the final rankings and awards will be issued that day.
The Martine Rothblatt Space Settlement in our Lifetime 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 business plan that will help to enable some part of Dr. Rothblatt’s vision for space settlement as outlined on the competition website at spacebizplan.nss.org. Details are available from the website. Please be sure to view the video presentations posted for more details on a successful business plan. The deadline for submissions is February 16, 2026. All business plan submissions should be made in PDF format and will be considered final.
“We hope to see some remarkable new business plans, just as we did in 2025,” said Rod Pyle, Editor-in-Chief of Ad Astra magazine, the official publication of NSS. “Martine is an incredible person, and their concepts for the future of humanity are truly inspiring. We thank them for continuing to support this endeavor, and I encourage anyone with a profound idea for a business that will, in some way, support the future of human communities in space to enter the competition.”
