The geoarchaeology of planetary exploration: new approaches to space heritage preservation

Abstract

On 21 May 2015, the United States passed the ‘Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act’, also known as the SPACE Act, encouraging a competitive commercial space exploration industry and effectively ushering a new space race, or even space age. Unlike the former space age of the 1950s–1970s which was characterized by intense competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, the new space race involves at least 70 different countries and hundreds of private companies pursuing space exploration enterprises. One reason for this renewed interest lies in the Moon's potential for providing key natural resources capable of being mined, also known as in situ resource utilization (ISRU), such as rare earth elements for consumer electronics, water ice containing hydrogen necessary for rocket fuel and helium-3, a valuable nonradioactive isotope that is rare on Earth. Along with the hundreds of private companies, three major ongoing multi-government space initiatives aimed at ISRU are underway: the NASA-led ARTEMIS Program (which saw its first crewed mission launch on 1 April 2026), the ESA-led moon base initiative and China's Lunar Exploration Program. These initiatives have major implications for the future management of natural and cultural resources preserved within extraterrestrial environments, and it is imperative that researchers, including geologists, archaeologists and planetary scientist work together to discuss strategies to mitigate risk to these resources. While natural resources such as those mentioned above represent the main foci of space interest, cultural resources are equally important to consider for protection as we enter the new space race.