Beyond the Cradle
MIT Media Lab
Wednesday April 8, 2026
Co-presented by Aurelia Institute, the MIT Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), and the MIT Media Lab.
This is a private, ticketed, invitation-only event. Tickets are non-transferable.
MIT Community Members are invited to join at no cost. If you are requesting to register as a MIT Community Member please use your @mit.edu address so that we can verify you.
April 8, 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?
Agenda
8:00 AM
Registration, coffee
8:30
We are Go for Launch
MIT President Sally Kornbluth
Opening Remarks
Ariel Ekblaw, Founder & CEO, Aurelia Institute; Founder, MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative
Jessica Rosenworcel, Executive Director, MIT Media Lab
Keynote Presentation: Julien de Wit, Associate Professor of Planetary Science, MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric + Planetary Sciences
Next Generation Space Stations and the Future of Low Earth Orbit
Kam Ghaffarian, Founder and Executive Chairman of X-energy, Intuitive Machines, Axiom Space and Quantum Space
Saleem Miyan, CEO, Max Space
Marshall Smith, CEO, Starlab Space
Moderated by Ariel Ekblaw
10:30
Break
11:00
Our SciFi Space Future
Ken Liu, Author & Futurist
Mary Robinette Kowal, Author
11:45
Lunch
12:30 PM
Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism
Democratizing Access to Space
Phil Frank, Co-Founder & CEO, Rendezvous Robotics
Cody Paige, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University
Raphael Roettgen, Founding Partner, E2MC
Moderated by Mehak Sarang, Director of Industry Integration, Open Lunar Foundation
Cosmic Metabolism
Xin Liu, Artist & Engineer
Orbital BioLab and Biotech Entrepreneurship in Space
Will Bruey, Co-Founder & CEO, Varda Space Industries
George Church, Harvard & MIT Professor
Kate Rubins, Founding Director, Trivedi Institute for Space and Global Biomedicine; Retired NASA Astronaut
Nicole Wagner, Co-Founder, President & CEO, LambdaVision
Moderated by Stephanie Sjoblom, VP of Strategy and Business Development, Aurelia Institute
3:00
Break
3:30
Workshops
1. Perfecting Air in Space
2. Expanding the Drake Equation
3. Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism
Lightning Talks
Ryan Westerdahl & Axel Garcia, Turion
Paul Jaffe, Overview Energy
Shaurya Luthra, Northwood
Jeffrey Montes, Different Systems
Rodrigo Diez, Novo Space
Devon Papandrew, Stoke Space
Andrew Rush, Star Catcher
Nicole Wagner, LamdaVision
Phil Frank, Rendezvous Robotics
4:45
Astronaut Augury
Katya Echazarreta, Citizen Astronaut, Blue Origin NS-21; Founder, Fundacion Espacial
Mike Fincke, NASA Astronaut
Jasmin Moghbeli, American U.S. Marine Corps Test Pilot; Astronaut, NASA's SpaceX Crew-7
Sian Proctor, Visionary Artists, Futures, Explorer; Pilot, SpaceX Inspiration4
Moderated by Cady Coleman, Chemist, Engineer, Former United States Air Force Colonel; Retired NASA astronaut
Closing Remarks
Ariel Ekblaw
5:45
Closing Reception
Visit https://beyond.media.mit.edu/ for more information.
Requesting a ticket does not guarantee attendance. Your card will only be charged if your request is approved. Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.