Beyond the Cradle 2026

April 2026 marks the 10th annual Beyond the Cradle: Envisioning a New Space Age—MIT’s flagship event exploring humanity’s future beyond Earth. For a decade, Beyond the Cradle has brought together space industry leaders, researchers, and visionaries to advance the shared mission of democratizing this new frontier. This milestone invites us to celebrate ten years of impact — new projects, spin-off companies, partnerships, and bold ideas — while also reflecting on 250 years of exploration and technological progress shaped by the United States. In 2026, we turn our gaze to the founding ideals of exploration, independence, and innovation that launched a nation — and now propel us beyond our home planet. How will this era of exploration be different? What opportunities and responsibilities await us as stewards of the anthropocosmos? What lessons guide us as we build new worlds? 0:00 – We are Go for Launch, Sally Kornbluth 08:48 - Opening Remarks, Ariel Ekblaw & Jessica Rosenworcel 17:38 - Keynote Presentation: Julien de Wit 1:07:52 - Next Generation Space Stations and the Future of Low Earth Orbit 2:00:39 - Our SciFi Space Future 2:48:02 - Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism 3:01:21 - Democratizing Access to Space 3:49:58 - Cosmic Metabolism 4:23:05 - Orbital BioLab and Biotech Entrepreneurship in Space 5:13:38 - Lightning Talks - Ryan Westerdahl & Axel Garcia, Turion 5:14:45 - Paul Jaffe, Overview Energy 5:22:11 - Shaurya Luthra, Northwood 5:29:52 - Jeffrey Montes, Different Systems 5:37:58 - Rodrigo Diez, Novo Space 5:46:07 - Andrew Rush, Star Catcher 5:53:14 - Nicole Wagner, LamdaVision 6:00:19 - Phil Frank, Rendezvous Robotics 6:07:45 - Astronaut Augury 7:06:44 - Closing Remarks More information at: https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/beyo...