Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn’t think private companies will lead in space exploration

Neil deGrasse Tyson took the stage at SXSW on March 8 to discuss science, technology, and education. During his keynote session, Tyson touched on topics ranging from space exploration to popular misconceptions about science and the natural world. Tyson has been an outspoken proponent of space exploration and programs like NASA. Space exploration and the future-focused mindset it brings is the key to innovation, he said.

Famed scientist and science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson talked about the importance of space exploration today during his keynote at South by Southwest Interactive. Despite advances by private companies, particularly SpaceX, he said they won’t be the ones making the biggest breakthroughs. Tyson admitted that for him, the appeal of space travel is the simple fact that it’s “a frontier.” However, there are more practical reasons to go into space. For one thing, we need to be able to respond if we find out that an asteroid is headed for Earth.