Space exploration hit stagnation after the 20th-century exploration projects, meaning less interest from private investors and the government. This resulted in diminishing funds, making space exploration a forgotten topic even among the public.
This, however, has changed over the last few years because of the efforts put in by Yuri Milner. Milner is a science philanthropist and tech investor who invested finances and insight in reviving the space science sector.
He co-founded Breakthrough Listen, a Breakthrough Initiative, alongside the late Stephen Hawking. This initiative has partnered with some of the biggest telescopes globally across five continents, taking the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence to new levels. It has also re-framed the parameters of what the initiative is expected to find.
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Yuri Milner grew up in the 1960s and read Iosif Shklovysky and Carl Sagan’s Intelligent Life in the Universe. The book gave him a passion for life beyond our world, which contributed to his majoring in Physics for his postgraduate education.
He graduated with an advanced degree in theoretical physics in 1985, researched quantum field theory, but later switched to business. He relocated to the US and attended Philadelphia’s Wharton School. Milner founded DST Global, one of the most prominent tech investors whose portfolio includes clients like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Spotify, WhatsApp, and Alibaba.
In 2012, Yuri Milner and his wife partnered with Bill and Melinda Gates plus Warren Buffet to be a donor for the Giving Pledge. They pledged to donate half of their wealth primarily to scientific causes.
He also founded the Breakthrough foundation to invest in supporting science and mathematics researchers, pioneering space programs, and inspiring a passion for science among young people. He does this via the Breakthrough Prize, Breakthrough Junior Challenge, and other Breakthrough initiatives like Discuss and Message.
Yuri Milner has also written the Eureka Manifesto, a book about humanity’s position in the universe and how we can contribute to its future.