How to Support The Planetary Society's Space Exploration Work

You can support The Planetary Society in four concrete ways: become a member at one of four monthly tiers ($4, $10, $20, or $40 per month), donate to its featured fundraising campaign, enter its sweepstakes, or subscribe for free updates. Membership and donations are the two direct funding routes; the sweepstakes and newsletter are lower-commitment ways to engage. All of these options appear on the organization's homepage, so you can act on any of them without hunting through the site.

Become a member

The Planetary Society describes itself as a member-funded nonprofit, co-founded by Carl Sagan in 1980, and membership is the recurring way to fund its work. The site lists four monthly amounts:

Choosing a tier is the main decision. The page does not explain what differs between tiers beyond the amount, so treat the choice as "how much do I want to give monthly" rather than "which benefits do I unlock." If you want a low-commitment start, the $4 tier is the smallest listed option; if you want to give more, the higher tiers scale up.

The membership pitch is framed around joining "the world's largest and most effective space advocacy movement," with Chief Ambassador Bill Nye. That framing matters if advocacy — not just science funding — is what you want to support.

Donate to the featured fundraising campaign

The homepage features a fundraising campaign under the heading "You Power the Next Great Discovery!" The stated purpose is to "fund future scientific research that advances space science and exploration." A Donate link sits directly under that description.

Choose this route if you want a one-time or campaign-specific gift rather than a recurring membership. The page does not state whether donations are one-time or recurring, so confirm that on the donation form before submitting.

Enter the sweepstakes

The featured sweepstakes is a chance to "Win a Total Solar Eclipse Expedition in Egypt" — a 10-day journey built around one of the longest total solar eclipses in decades. The page notes a promo code, EGYPT25, for 25% additional entries.

This is an engagement option, not a funding mechanism in the same sense as membership or donations. If you enter, use the promo code to increase your entries; the page does not state an entry fee or purchase requirement, so check the official rules before assuming either way.

Subscribe for updates

A free subscription form offers "updates, weekly tools, and exclusive opportunities to support space exploration," with the note that you may opt out at any time and a link to the Privacy Policy. This is the lowest-commitment option and a reasonable first step if you want to see what the organization sends before committing money.

What the organization says it funds

Understanding the mission helps you decide where your support goes. The Planetary Society organizes its work around three core enterprises:

• Explore Worlds — increase discoveries about the worlds of our Solar System and beyond.
• Find Life — elevate the search for life as a space exploration priority.
• Defend Earth — decrease the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid or comet.

Its policy and advocacy positions include Mars sample return, increasing NASA science funding, advocating for NEO Surveyor, flexibility for Artemis procurement and partnerships, and elevating the search for life beyond Earth. If any of these specific priorities is what you care about, that is a signal to direct support there rather than to the general fund.

Which option fits you

• Want recurring impact and a voice in advocacy: become a member and pick a monthly tier.
• Want to fund research directly, once or per campaign: use the featured fundraising campaign's Donate link.
• Want a low-cost, high-upside engagement: enter the sweepstakes, and use promo code EGYPT25 for extra entries.
• Not ready to spend: subscribe to updates first and decide later.

The page does not publish details on tax treatment, cancellation terms, or what each membership tier includes beyond the monthly amount, so verify those on the relevant form before you commit.