The Foundation Society
The Foundation Society is a multi-planetary foundation, set up for the betterment of humankind. This group of nations and industrial titans fund major space settlements which span the entire system. They are also a huge investor in humanitarian operations, ensuring development equality for all the settled worlds.
Lobbying Efforts
The Foundation Society was initially founded as a commercial enterprise between several large multi-national firms. These firms recognised that the laws regarding ownership in space at the time, precluded any incentive for commercial exploration. Without the ability to own a particular resource, no entity national or commercial could financially justify funding further exploration initiatives.
The Foundation Society worked with the United Nations to implement a strict set of property rights which apply to objects that are above the Karman line. A subsequent set of treaties organised rights to claim parts of the Lunar surface. The basis of these laws was the idea that, if an entity had a base capable of supporting human life on an astronomical body, any land within a 30 kilometer radius would legally belong to the entity.
This simple change in the laws on property rights in space triggered the greatest industrial effort ever undertaken by humankind. In 2025, just five years after the treaty was signed, nationals from over 45 countries had set foot on the moon. The first humans to set foot on Mars were carried there on partially commercially funded vehicles. Humanity took its first steps into the darkness.