New Restructured COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection Recently Published
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) recently updated its Planetary Protection policy, which was published in the Space Research Today journal. This revised edition incorporates structural and editorial improvements that expand upon the text from 2021, without altering the content of the respective substantive guidelines beyond what has been originally agreed by the Panel and validated by the Bureau, but with enhanced consistency and clarity.
Relevant changes to the COSPAR PP Policy include:
- Revision of the Preamble and Policy chapters (1 and 2) to increase linguistic clarity and extend the references to Articles VI and IX of the Outer Space Treaty. The new version highlights the policy’s status as a voluntary international standard and introduces a shift towards an objectives-driven and adaptable approach to contamination control guidelines based on evolving scientific understanding.
- Addition of chapter 3 (Role of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection), focused on the role of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection and the development of the policy and associated guidance and implementation support.
- Addition of chapter 4 (Key Assumptions), highlighting key assumptions that form the basis for the technical guidelines, along with the rationale and background references.
- Addition of chapter 5 (Categorization), which compiles all the key elements and considerations for categorization into a single chapter, including the rationale for the categorization process.
- Revision of chapter 6 (Guidelines) to include an objective paragraph in the beginning of each of the sub-chapters, providing additional context to the end user.
- Addition of chapter 7 (Reporting on Mission Activities), which clarifies clauses pertaining the reporting of planetary protection activities to COSPAR by entities conducting activities in outer space.
- Comprehensive revision of chapter 8 (References) to provide references to recent, peer-reviewed publications that serve as the foundation for the Panel’s recommendations.
- Addition of a Terms and Definitions appendix (A), a Reporting to COSPAR Recommended Elements appendix (B), and a Mission Documentation Expected Elements appendix (C).
Planetary Protection benefits from international collaboration and consensus. The COSPAR PP policy is an example on how space agencies and scientific community can come together and agree on international guidelines for promoting a responsible and sustainable space exploration. The ESA PP Officer Silvio Sinibaldi has led the effort from ESA side to help the restructuring of the COSPAR PP policy along with the members of the COSPAR PP Panel. There won’t be impacts on ESA missions following this restructuring of the PP policy. The ESA Planetary Protection Policy is fully compliant with such guidelines.
Get access to the new policy and understand more about the updates here.
Get to know more about the role of the COSPAR PP panel here.