Inevitably, life on Earth will come to an end, whether by disaster, cataclysmic war, or the death of the sun in a few billion years. Life has inherent value, and yet humans are the only species that understands extinction, which actuates a unique duty of humans to life. To avoid extinction, for our species and for all life known thus far, we will need to find a new home planet, and eventually a new solar system. The same capacity for ingenuity that has enabled us to build rockets and land on other planets can be applied to redesigning biology so that we can sustainably inhabit those planets. Our lab is working on a ten-phase, 500-year plan for  reengineering biological systems for life on other worlds. New technological and computational methods can help us model life, design life, and also create systems for the detection and protection of life in the universe.