Further updates to the Committee on Space Research Planetary Protection Policy for missions to Icy Worlds

Recent discoveries have underscored the potential habitability of outer Solar System bodies like icy moons and dwarf planets. Such discoveries have elevated these bodies to high-priority targets for future astrobiology missions. However, the exploration of these environments necessitates a review and update of existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) planetary protection policies in view of new discoveries and to be more encompassing. A recent study by Doran et al. (Doran et al. 2024 Life Sci. Space Res. 41, 86-99. (doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.002)) proposed modifications to the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. Here, members of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) update those proposals based on additional community input garnered since that publication. Updates include (i) a refined definition of Icy Worlds, (ii) establish Ceres as an Icy World in addition to others under this new definition, (iii) the creation and explanation of the two-stage probability calculation for Icy Worlds, and (iv) ensuring that samples returned from an Icy World follow the same six-question framework used for small bodies in the current policy to determine whether they require restricted or unrestricted return. By incorporating critical updates, we aim to ensure the responsible exploration of these potentially life-bearing worlds while safeguarding their pristine state for future scientific investigation. The input presented in this paper will be used to make final proposals for changes to the COSPAR Policy regarding Icy Worlds by the PPP. This article is part of the theme issue 'Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration'.

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Journal
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences
Published
2026-02-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2024.0434
Primary Topic
Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Type
article
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article

Further updates to the Committee on Space Research Planetary Protection Policy for missions to Icy Worlds

Mark A. Sephton, Niklas Hedman, Jing Peng, Kanyan Xu et al.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences
Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
article

Further updates to the Committee on Space Research Planetary Protection Policy for missions to Icy Worlds

Mark A. Sephton, Niklas Hedman, Jing Peng, Kanyan Xu, A. Hayes, Lyle G. Whyte, O. Grasset, Y. Suzuki, V. K. Ilyin, Kumar K. Praveen, Omar Al Shehhi, François Raulin, Elaine Seasly, М. А. Зайцев, Peter T. Doran, Petra Rettberg, Jeremy Teo, Christian Mustin, J. Nick Benardini, Karen Olsson-Francis, Olga Prieto-Ballesteros, Athena Coustenis, Eleonora Ammannito, Silvio Sinibaldi, Gerhard Kminek, Masaki Fujimoto
article en

Abstract

Recent discoveries have underscored the potential habitability of outer Solar System bodies like icy moons and dwarf planets. Such discoveries have elevated these bodies to high-priority targets for future astrobiology missions. However, the exploration of these environments necessitates a review and update of existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) planetary protection policies in view of new discoveries and to be more encompassing. A recent study by Doran et al. (Doran et al. 2024 Life Sci. Space Res. 41, 86-99. (doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.002)) proposed modifications to the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. Here, members of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) update those proposals based on additional community input garnered since that publication. Updates include (i) a refined definition of Icy Worlds, (ii) establish Ceres as an Icy World in addition to others under this new definition, (iii) the creation and explanation of the two-stage probability calculation for Icy Worlds, and (iv) ensuring that samples returned from an Icy World follow the same six-question framework used for small bodies in the current policy to determine whether they require restricted or unrestricted return. By incorporating critical updates, we aim to ensure the responsible exploration of these potentially life-bearing worlds while safeguarding their pristine state for future scientific investigation. The input presented in this paper will be used to make final proposals for changes to the COSPAR Policy regarding Icy Worlds by the PPP. This article is part of the theme issue 'Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration'.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering SciencesVol. 384(2314)
Louisiana State University System (US), New York University Abu Dhabi (AE), Louisiana State University (US), Indian Space Research Organisation (IN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), China Academy of Space Technology (CN), Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR), The Open University of Japan (JP), Cornell University (US), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Centre National d'Études Spatiales (FR), Canadian Space Agency (CA), Paris-Est Sup (FR), Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (IT), Space Research Institute (RU), European Space Agency (FR), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), United Kingdom Space Agency (GB), Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CN), China National Space Administration (CN), Institute of Biomedical Problems (RU), University of Tokyo Hospital (JP), NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (GB), National Space Science Center (CN), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (US), Centro de Astrobiología (ES), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JP), National Space Agency (MY), Imperial College London (GB), McGill University (CA), The University of Tokyo (JP), Nantes Université (FR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 56%
Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
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