Lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge with the world.
We are exploring the solar system for life, from Mars to the icy moons of the outer solar system. Partnering with NASA, we seek chemical signs of life on other worlds. We also search for signals from advanced civilizations using the Allen Telescope Array, the Very Large Array in New Mexico, and our LaserSETI global observatory.

The SETI Institute is the world’s only research organization devoted to the search for life and intelligence beyond Earth.

Our research efforts depend on:
Ground and space-based optical telescopes
Radio telescopes and interferometers
Advanced signal processing technology
Laboratory research
Field expeditions
Theoretical studies
AI and advanced data analytics