Norms of Behavior in Space Workshop

The Secure World Foundation (SWF) and the Open Lunar Foundation co-hosted  this event to discuss what new norms are needed, and what interests and values should be reflected in norms for lunar activity.

Background: In light of the increasingly dense, diverse, and multi-stakeholder ecosystem of space activities, the space community needs to clarify norms for the governance of imminent and proposed space activities. Fundamental to this is capacity-building and awareness of norms, including discussions and education on what new norms for space are needed, what form should they take, and by what methods they ought to develop. The limited set of policy analogs in these existing discussions should be expanded to encompass a more diverse set of inspirations.

Prompts:

Is there a workable consensus definition of the phrase “norms” in the general literature, and can it be shared and implemented by the space community? 

What issues, interests, and inputs should inform the development of norms of behavior for emerging and proposed activity, including lunar activity? 

How can space actors be empowered to lead by example and gain experience to inform formal policy making?

Impact: Based on the discussions of the workshop, SWF and Open Lunar will produce a list of issues, concerns, and conclusions from the event. This will serve as a basis for further work by SWF and Open Lunar Foundation. The cross-disciplinary discussions will serve to make these findings more robust and viable for future use. 

Materials

• Download the event report here.
• Event slides

For more information, contact Chris Johnson