The COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy for robotic missions to Mars: A review of current scientific knowledge and future perspectives

Authors

Karen Olsson-Francis, The Open University
Peter T. Doran, LOUISIANA, STATE OF
Vyacheslav Ilyin, Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences
Francois Raulin, CNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Petra Rettberg, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Gerhard Kminek, ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
María Paz Zorzano Mier, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA)
Athena Coustenis, L'Observatoire de Paris
Niklas Hedman, Committee
Omar Al Shehhi, UAESA
Eleonora Ammannito, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
James Bernardini, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Masaki Fujimoto, JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
Olivier Grasset, Nantes Université
Frank Groen, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Alex Hayes, Cornell University
Sarah C. Gallagher, University of Western OntarioFollow
Praveen Kumar K, Indian Space Research Organization
Christian Mustin, CNES Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
Akiko Nakamura, The University of Tokyo
Elaine Seasly, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Yohey Suzuki, The University of Tokyo
Jing Peng, China National Space Administration
Olga Prieto-Ballesteros, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA)
Silvio Sinibaldi, ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
Kanyan Xu, China Academy of Space Technology
Maxim Zaitsev, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2023

Journal

Life Sciences in Space Research

Volume

36

First Page

27

Last Page

35

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1016/j.lssr.2022.12.001

Abstract

Planetary protection guidance for martian exploration has become a notable point of discussion over the last decade. This is due to increased scientific interest in the habitability of the red planet with updated techniques, missions becoming more attainable by smaller space agencies, and both the private sector and governments engaging in activities to facilitate commercial opportunities and human-crewed missions. The international standards for planetary protection have been developed through consultation with the scientific community and the space agencies by the Committee on Space Research's (COSPAR) Panel on Planetary Protection, which provides guidance for compliance with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. In 2021, the Panel evaluated recent scientific data and literature regarding the planetary protection requirements for Mars and the implications of this on the guidelines. In this paper, we discuss the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy for Mars, review the new scientific findings and discuss the next steps required to enable the next generation of robotic missions to Mars.