Previously, space was primarily the realm of the armed services or states and their separate space organizations, such as NASA and the European Space Agency. However, there has been a major shift in recent times, with more and more private corporations earning a name for themselves by exploring space. Billionaires around the world have determined to take the initiative through various programs designed to combat global warming, rising pollution, limited resources, and a growing population. 

Yuri Milner writes about the importance of space exploration in his book Eureka Manifesto, claiming that some of the challenges we face as a civilization could be fatal if we remain on one planet. Global war, bioterrorism, and anthropogenic climate change are all major crises for mankind, but these issues could be solved if we worked together as a species toward a shared objective of exploring the universe. 

In the Eureka Manifesto, Yuri Milner also proposed solutions to several issues facing the world. Spreading out into space is one way to reduce the impact on Earth. Billionaires are actively working to accelerate the scientific revolution and scientific breakthroughs. It is believed by them that exploration and understanding of the universe are as vital as anything in the world. Yuri Milner, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson have made significant investments in what Milner calls the “new enlightenment” that will guarantee our survival into the far future. 

Yuri Milner

Yuri Milner is a physicist, businessman, venture capitalist, and philanthropist. He has been named one of the world’s most influential investors in the sector of information technology. Yuri Milner co-founded the investment firm DST Global, which is one of the largest and most well-known venture capital firms. He has donated over a hundred million dollars to the search for alien life. 

In 2015, he established “Breakthrough Initiatives”, a group of multiple space-related programs. The “Breakthrough Listen” project is hunting for communications from sentient aliens, and the $100 million “Breakthrough Starshot” project aims to build miniature laser-sailing spacecraft to examine nearby exoplanetary systems. Yuri Milner also authored Eureka Manifesto, which is about the shared mission of fundamental understanding, existential risks to humanity, and becoming a spacefaring civilization. In his Eureka Manifesto, Yuri Milner urges us to examine and explore our universe, which will eventually determine humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a Canadian-American business magnate, entrepreneur, and investor. He is the CEO of Tesla and the founder of SpaceX. SpaceX is constructing a large space transportation system to enable long-term human settlement on Mars. Elon Musk has stated repeatedly that the fundamental goal of SpaceX is the long-term survival of humankind as a civilization. He claims that his idea of establishing a permanent colony on Mars will enable humanity to become not just multi-planetary, but even interstellar in the future.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is an American businessman, media mogul, investor, computer engineer, and commercial astronaut. He is the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. Blue Origin rocket firm has indicated that the company is working on a moon lander that may transport commodities and humans to the lunar surface. However, reaching the moon is simply the beginning of his vision. Bezos indicated that what he wants to do is find a new home for our species in space to fight the immediate issues such as hunger and pollution.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson is a British business mogul, entrepreneur, and billionaire. He formed the Virgin Group, which now oversees over 395 enterprises in diverse industries. Richard Branson and his British Virgin Group launched Virgin Galactic, an American spaceflight enterprise. It is the world’s first commercial spaceline with the mission of connecting people all over the world to the love, wonder, and amazement that space travel inspires. The idea of Richard Branson is that spaceflight has the special power to change our worldview, technology, and perhaps our evolutionary future. As for the Earth’s spaceline, his goal is to alter access to space for the betterment of people, revealing the wonders of space to more individuals than ever before.