The National Space Society’s annual Space Settlement Summit is the premier gathering for the leaders, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers driving humanity toward a space-faring future. This exclusive high-level conference unites the brightest minds working to make permanent human presence beyond Earth a reality.
Each year, the summit tackles the real challenges and opportunities of expanding into space, with high-level discussions on lunar settlement, space solar power, robotics and AI, governance, and the fast-evolving space economy.
The Theme for 2026: “From the Moon to Markets: Building the Cislunar Economy”
The 2026 Space Settlement Summit lands October 25–26 at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, as part of the region’s official Space Week celebrations.
This year’s conference will focus on the logistics, financial conditions, and economic opportunities that are evolving in the near term of cislunar space. This is not just a series of talks—while there will be valuable presentations by high-end speakers, the Space Settlement Summit is designed to be highly participatory and workshops—with tangible results—are at the core of this gathering.
In collaboration with The Economist magazine, the summit will dig into the technological and political frameworks needed to activate a sustainable cislunar economy. From high-efficiency lunar surface power grids to the logistics of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), every session is built to accelerate the shift from lunar exploration to a permanent, human-centric economic sphere.
About the University of Central Florida
UCF ranks among the nation’s top research institutions in planetary science and space systems engineering, and its proximity to Kennedy Space Center and the Space Coast makes it the perfect host for this forward-looking summit. The campus is a launchpad for innovation, drawing NASA scientists, commercial space leaders, and next-gen explorers alike.