Planetary Protection: Updates And Challenges For A Sustainable Space Exploration

Planetary protection enables scientific return from solar system bodies investigations and at the same time protects life on Earth.

As we continue to explore our solar system by landing machines and humans on other planets, we need to ascertain that we do not bring potentially dangerous material home to Earth or carry anything from Earth that may contaminate another planetary body and prevent scientific investigations.

A Planetary Protection Policy has been developed by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), which provides a forum for international consultation in the area of space research. The COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy, and its associated requirements, is not legally binding under international law but is an agreed standard with implementation guidelines for compliance with Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty.

States Parties to the Outer Space Treaty are responsible for national space activities under Article VI, including the activities of governmental and non-governmental entities.

Planetary protection: Updates and challenges for a sustainable space exploration, Science Direct

Astrobiology