September 2017
Europe needs facility to handle extra-terrestrial space material
... to be devoid of any potential present or past form of life. The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) [1] defines five planetary protection categories with subcategories dependent on the target of the mission and the type of mission (fly-by, orbiter...
October 2018
Looking for life on Enceladus with IceMole
... for hosting microbial life in the solar system One of the most challenging problems of astrobiological planetary exploration is planetary protection, i.e. the need to not contaminate any possible habitable environments with microbial life from Earth...
October 2024
International space law - the beginning of the end?
... space debris, numerous other issues will need to be addressed. Such issues include matters related to planetary protection, planetary defence, cybersecurity, space weather, space transportation systems, standardisation of space ports, space traffic...
January 2017
Elon Musk and Mars - looking for a snowball effect
... Space Treaty, any Martian colonists would be regarded as “squatters, or pirates”. Other commentators raised questions of planetary protection, fearing speculative worst-case scenarios in which terrestrial micro-organisms caused a mass extinction...
September 2016
Life in the extremes: confessions of an astrobiologist
..., rovers and spacecraft are prepared prior to being launched into space. It is in these rooms that the greatest planetary protection efforts are put in place in order to make sure that only a very minimal amount of microorganisms and other...
April 2025
Space sustainability and the role of space situational awareness
... framework to guide sustainable efforts in space is laborious. Guidelines such as the Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) Planetary Protection Policy are non-binding, because nations and private entities have different priorities, making consensus...
