I affirm. My value is morality because the use of “moral obligation” prompts a question of morality. My value criterion is maximixing welbeing. For the clarity of today’s debate I offer the following definitions. First, a moral imperative is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “Something that must be done because it is extremely important”. In other words, a goal of the human population. Negating means it is no longer the goal of all people. Prefer maximizing welbeing because everything has a trade off, we need a way to account for the most people and minimize the losses. Util is the only way to way to achieve this and account the greatest degrees of harm. CONTENTION 1: Innovation Innovation is seen as an important indicator of economic growth. Drake 25 explains that in the status quo, the pace of innovation has decreased over the last ¾ of a century. Many studies of the scientific papers pointed out the slowdown in scientific breakthrough and innovation. This has a negative impact in many areas as noted by McKinney 23, “Innovation is a crucial driving force behind economic growth and societal advancement. It creates jobs, increases productivity, and improves our quality of life. When innovation stagnates, it affects not just corporations or governments but the entire population.” Development of space colonization leads to increased innovation for 2 key reasons. First, new innovations would come from developing the necessary technology needed for space colonization. Before cars could be developed, essential technologies such as engines, braking systems, and suspension had to be invented. Similarly, before space colonization can become a reality, substantial technological advancements must first be made. , Mcarthur 19 supports this by explaining that there are many technologies we need to invent before we can colonize outer space. Specifically about the challenges of needing a closed ecosystem with using sunlight and solar power, needing anti-gravity systems, and more. Innovations in these areas will bring new technology and incentify innovations to Earth. Secondly, by making space colonization a moral imperative, there will be more investors and investment in the industry. Cooperman 26 explains how private investors play a crucial role in accelerating growth and innovations in the space sector. Ex Terra Media 2025 reveals that in fact, government spending only makes up around 23% and private investment becomes an increasingly big driver of the space industry. As space colonization becomes a moral imperative, there would be more money put into the industry and drive innovation. There are several impacts of this: First, there would be many inventions in various day-use technology. Pidgeon 17 explains that technology such as artificial limbs, laptops, water purifiers and more have all emerged from space exploration research. Second, GPS technology, satellites systems, and the trade economy would improve. As global trade becomes increasingly dependent on GPS systems, any innovation in this area would boost productivity tremendously. Third, suffering agricultural productivity would benefit from these innovations. Smith & Pardey 26 emphasize how public funding for agriculture innovation has been at an all time low, leading to a productivity crisis. Since colonizing space would inevitably lead to innovation in agriculture, the agriculture industry would reap the benefits and bring the much needed funding. Fourth is improvement in the job industry. Halpin 26 states how “across industries. Internet job postings are down more than 50% from last year’s first quarter”. Space industry is significant part of job market and economy. OECD 26 states “Space is also a measurable component of national economies.in the United States the sector generated USD 142.5 billion in GDP in 2023 and 373 000 private-sector jobs.” An increasing focus on space colonization would bring more jobs and boost the economy. Contention 2: Benefits of Space Colonization Space Colonization itself benefits society for 3 key reasons. First is new discoveries. Colonizing space allows us to be able to fully explore and understand space much better than just space exploration. By settling in outer space, it allows for long term experimentation and thorough research. Second is minerals. It is easier to mine minerals on the planet than off the planet. Acronym 25 states “Rare earth elements (otherwise known as REEs) are a scarce but vital resource. Increasing global demand has broadened the search for REE deposits to unconventional places, including the Moon. Apollo samples showed that one type of lunar rock containing potassium (K), REEs, and phosphorus (P) “ Mining on the moon can contribute to our needs. Itser 25 “Mining the moon for water, helium-3, and rare earth elements could become a multibillion-dollar industry in the near future. These include water ice, which could support lunar habitation or be converted into rocket