From 1969 to 2019 to beyond

Fifty years ago, the world watched in wonder as the Apollo 11 astronauts became the first humans to set foot on another world. To mark the anniversary of humanity’s first steps on the Moon, Encyclopaedia Britannica will start a yearlong journey to examine our past, present, and future in space.

Our mission is to feed the world’s curiosity about space.

We know that what we know may only be the tip of the iceberg. We know that there’s so much more to explore. What lies in space, and why are we so fascinated with it? What can it teach us? Who has the right to explore space? Will private money outspend public money? Will the nations of the world be able to coexist peacefully in space?

From the race to the Moon to space stewardship…

We explore subjects ranging from whether space tourism will become widespread to how spaceflight will be a part of the global economy in the mid-21st century. With the help of our readers, we’ll answer why space interests us so much. What is our fascination with space? Is space a global story of human frontiers? What potential does space hold? Is our future, and maybe even our survival, truly out there? These are some of the questions that will drive SpaceNext50 over the next year.