Space Diplomacy from an Astronaut’s Viewpoint

Intergovernmental space diplomacy has played an essential role in human space activities. The International Space Station of low-Earth orbit and the Artemis programme to explore the moon and beyond are essential examples. Current noteworthy developments that are influencing space diplomacy include the following: (1) the number of governments that engage in human space activities has been increasing; and (2) inter-industry and grassroots co-operation has had a significant impact. We astronauts, and I believe anybody who aims to explore space, appreciate the value of norms in space, which assure a safe environment for our activities and secure future possibilities to expand our frontier to the moon and beyond.