By Rachael Zisk

Humanity has dreamed about different visions of what a civilization in space might look like for longer than most of us have been alive.

We’ve been planning ways to sustain human life in orbit and on other planets for decades. Now, it feels like we’re within reach of that goal—and we need to be ready for it.

The newly formed Aurelia Institute aims to prep humanity for a long-term presence in space through R&D, policy, and outreach. Ariel Ekblaw, founder of both the Aurelia Institute and the MIT Space Exploration Initiative, spends her time thinking about and designing the next generation of space stations.