The Expanding Frontier of Human Activity in Space
Human activities in outer space are rapidly expanding, from the exponential growth in satellite launches to space tourism becoming a new pastime for the ultra-rich. Beyond Earth’s orbit, private companies have begun operating moon landers for the first time in history, and some national space agencies are intensifying their activities on the surface of Mars. Space resources, for instance, in the form of lunar ice deposits or Rare Earth Elements clustered in asteroids, are of rising commercial interest.
The diversification and intensification of space-based activities create both opportunities and challenges. The COST Action ‘Futures-Oriented Governance of Outer Space: Towards Peace, Equity, and Environmental Integrity’ (FOGOS) approaches them from a broad-based sustainability perspective, exploring governance mechanisms for outer space activities that could contribute to long-term peace, equity, and environmental integrity on Earth and in outer space.
FOGOS exists to explore, evaluate, and improve governance frameworks for the future of human activities in outer space — with a sustainability-centered lens
FOGOS is an international and interdisciplinary research network at the intersection of space governance and space futures. Our members work on a broad range of topics, ranging from space debris to space resources, space situational awareness, satellite infrastructures, space security, and integrated Earth-Space sustainability. They include governance experts, lawyers, historians, philosophers, ethnographers, and more.
Over the next years, we will be launching numerous activities at the intersection of space governance and space futures. If you are a scholar or practitioner working on these or related issues, please feel free to reach out.
Europe’s Strategic Role in Space
Over the next years, we will be launching numerous activities at the intersection of space governance and space futures. If you are a scholar or practitioner working on these or related issues, please feel free to reach out.The European space industry is crucial for economic growth and innovation. European scientific organisations are at the forefront of the global space sciences. Orbital satellite infrastructures play diverse and essential roles for European telecommunications and navigation.In the future, further exploration of the solar system holds vast potential for scientific discoveries and socio-economic development, possibly including tapping various types of space resources.
Long-Term Research Vision for Sustainable Space Futures
The COST Action “Futures-Oriented Governance of Outer Space: Towards Peace, Equity, and Environmental Integrity” (FOGOS) brings together researchers from Europe and beyond who work on diverse aspects of space governance and space futures across scientific disciplines.
Starting from a comprehensive concept of sustainability that encompasses peace, equity, and environmental integrity as its core components, FOGOS aims to improve the understanding of governance mechanisms and processes that can facilitate the attainment of sustainable space futures towards the middle of the 21st century for Europe.
FOGOS will engage in a stocktake of existing governance mechanisms and processes; evaluate their potential deficits, gaps, and inconsistencies; and propose policy recommendations towards a grand political bargain aligned with the achievement of sustainable space futures over approximately the next three decades.
The Action will do so by engaging policymakers and stakeholders from industry, science, and civil society. Through its networking and capacity-building activities, FOGOS will put Europe centre stage in the contemporary global debate on outer space and its futures. Here you can find our COST Action Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
OBJECTIVES
Research Coordination
Develop a shared analytical framework for enabling multi-disciplinary communication, collaboration and assessment.
Coordinate the development of a robust scientific knowledge base on the global landscape of space
governance processes and mechanisms.
Evaluate existing governance processes and mechanisms in terms of potential deficits, gaps, and inconsistencies
Develop actionable policy proposals for European stakeholders for the identified timeframe, based on peacefulness, equity, and environmental integrity as core principles.
Capacity Building
Develop a broad and common research agenda that integrates diverse research communities working on space futures and space governance across the social sciences, humanities and law.
Facilitate cooperation between established researchers in the field and researchers (particularly Young Researchers and researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries, ITCs) with less expertise.
Promote gender mainstreaming and gender balance in the scientific engagement with space governance and space futures.
WORKING GROUP
