THE COSPAR PLANETARY PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR ROBOTIC MISSIONS TO MARS

Kurzfassung

Planetary protection aims to ensure that: 1) Scientific investigations of possible extra-terrestrial life forms, precursors, and remnants are not jeopardised. 2) Earth is protected from the potential hazard posed by extra-terrestrial matter carried by spacecraft returning from an interplanetary mission [1]. Over the last decade, planetary protection regulations for Mars have been a notable point of discussion. This is due to missions being more attainable by the smaller space agencies and the private sector engaging in activities to facilitate commercial opportunities on the planet. The international standards for planetary protection (COSPAR Policy on 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 and provides guidance for compliance with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 [2]. Initial guidelines were guided by a probabilistic approach (1 x 10−4). Post-Viking,bioburden limits/ spore counts were introduced to the policy for target bodies like Mars, as it was concluded that Mars was less hospitable than initially believed. Yet, the probabilistic approach is still applied to Category III and IV and Category V. As missions to Mars become more complex and our understanding of Mars evolves, the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection is consistently evaluating the Planetary Protection requirements for Mars to enable the next generation of missions. In this presentation, we will discuss the current understanding of the Mars environment, its biocidal impact and the implications for the Planetary Protection requirements [3]. [1] https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/scientific-structure/panels/panel-on-planetary-protection-ppp/ [2] https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/assets/uploads/2021/07/PPPolicy20213 − June:pdf [3] Olsson-Francis (2023). Life Sciences in Space Research, 36 pp. 27–35.