Space For Humanity Announces Expansion of Their Mission; Launches World’s First Citizen Space Agency to Give Everyone a Stake in Humanity’s Future In Space

Nonprofit also announces a multi-year agreement with Virgin Galactic

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For generations, space agencies have carried the ambitions of nations beyond Earth. Today, Space for Humanity is announcing an agency that will carry the hopes of all to the cosmos.

Space for Humanity (S4H), a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to space for everyone, unveiled its plans for the world’s first nongovernment, nonprofit Citizen Space Agency at its annual Celestial Soirée in New York City on Friday — a bold new model for human space exploration designed to ensure that access to the power of space belongs not just to governments, corporations, or the privileged few, but to all people everywhere.

The S4H Citizen Space Agency represents an evolution of Space for Humanity’s work and an expansion of its mission. Since its founding in 2017, S4H has helped send extraordinary people from underrepresented communities to space for transformative experiences, then empowered them to carry that perspective back into the world, inspiring others through their work in science, education, government, diplomacy, and the space industry as a whole.

Now, those efforts will come together under a single, ambitious vision. Unlike a traditional national space agency, the Citizen Space Agency will not be defined by borders, but rather its membership.

“This is an extraordinary moment in human history,” said Amaresh Kollipara, Co-Vice Chairman of the Board of Space for Humanity. “Humanity is transforming itself into a spacefaring civilization, and the choices we make now will set our course deep into the future. We started this organization by asking how we could give more people access to space. Today, we’re asking a much bigger question: how can space create opportunities for all of humanity?”

“The Overview Effect, a profound insight of planetary unity most astronauts experience from space, is at the heart of our mission. The new Citizen Space Agency will expand research into it, and build the infrastructure for sharing what we learn with all of humanity,” said Claudia Welss, Co-Vice Chairman of the Board of Space for Humanity. “This will be critical to closing the gap between our technological capabilities and our capacity for wisdom.”

The S4H Citizen Space Agency will be built around three interconnected pillars: the first will prepare Citizen Astronauts for transformative spaceflight while enabling researchers, students, and innovators to develop experiments, technologies, and payloads for space; the second will bring space down to Earth through storytelling, education, public engagement, and a global network of ambassadors; and the third will bring new communities and perspectives into conversations about humanity’s future, advancing peaceful cooperation, broad participation, and shared benefit as we expand beyond Earth.

Space for Humanity’s pioneering Citizen Astronaut Program will remain central to the mission, and will now be joined by “Space for Humanity Labs,” which will identify purpose-driven individuals, provide them with opportunities to either experience spaceflight or fly valuable science and research to space, and empower them to translate that experience into action on Earth.

“From space, you don’t see the borders that divide us. You see one planet, one future, and one humanity. That perspective has always been at the heart of Space for Humanity,” said Antonio Peronace, S4H’s Executive Director. “That’s why we have worked to open up access to space to as many people as possible — to change perspectives and unify our world. Now, our nonprofit is evolving into something that will expand our reach, refine our work, and have more profound impacts for generations to come: a Citizen Space Agency. Our constituency is all of humanity. Our vision is to help you find your place in the stars. Our goal is to give people everywhere a way to touch the stars and help guide our future in the cosmos and here on Earth.”

As a major first step in this new chapter, Space for Humanity has entered into a multi-year partnership with Virgin Galactic for three full charter spaceflights. The partnership will create a sustained pathway to space for future Space for Humanity Citizen Astronauts and Space for Humanity Labs participants. These flights will see 18 extraordinary individuals travel to space, each carrying their own purpose, perspective, and potential for impact back to Earth.

“These three missions with Space for Humanity show what spaceflight can be: a platform for investing in people, advancing a purpose, and creating impact that lasts long after landing,” said Megan Prichard, Chief Growth Officer, Virgin Galactic. “We’re thrilled to bring them to life together, and we look forward to building on this collaboration to open the door for even more people to experience space with purpose.”

About Space for Humanity

Space for Humanity is a global nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to space for all of humanity and using the transformative perspective of space to create positive change on Earth.

Media Contact:
Brandon Fibbs
Director of Communications, Space for Humanity
brandon@spaceforhumanity.org