Envisioning a New Space Age

Beyond the Cradle takes a creative spin on the future of space exploration. This annual event brings together dozens of leading visionaries—industry chief executives, Nobel Laureates and space science researchers, sci-fi authors and designers, Hollywood creatives, and NASA and international astronauts—to shape our conception of the possible. Our Beyond the Cradle community advances the shared mission of democratizing access to the final frontier.

Launched in 2017 by Ariel Ekblaw at the MIT Media Lab as the flagship event from the MIT Space Exploration Initiative, since 2023 Beyond the Cradle has been co-presented with Aurelia Institute.

Beyond the Cradle features speakers and panels, lightning talks, workshops, galleries, demos, and more from across the space industry, academia, and the arts — a unique gathering to explore the infinite possibilities of humanity’s future in space.