POLICY

Shaping the path toward an inclusive and sustainable future in space

 
 

At this crucial moment in human history as we develop into a spacefaring species, Aurelia Institute has established the Center for Space Ethics & Policy. The Center will serve as a hub for global thought leaders and visionaries to explore the urgent socio-technical challenges of building an aspirational space civilization. Our approach is interdisciplinary and grounded in humanist values, guided by the core principle of advancing a sustainable, inclusive, and scalable space civilization where humanity can truly thrive.

 
 

Building a spacefaring civilization requires forward-thinking policy, ethical frameworks adapted to emerging challenges, and an inspiring vision of society beyond Earth.

At Aurelia Institute’s Center for Space Ethics & Policy we focus on three key areas for building an aspirational space future.

 

  • We understand that the design choices of today will shape the society we will inhabit tomorrow. This is why it is crucial to imbue our work with a philosophy that considers the impact of design choices early in the process of technological development. First and foremost, we apply this to our own R&D workstreams, and consider the ethical implications of new technologies that we are introducing into the world.

  • Human wellbeing is at the core of Aurelia’s approach to ethics and space policy. We seek to advance social structures for future space settlements that safeguard human rights and freedoms, while maintaining our humanist commitment to the intrinsic value of the individual and democratic systems of governance that are open to all.

  • As humanity enters the age of the Anthropocosmos, we are presented with a unique opportunity at the early stages of our spacefaring development to establish first principles grounded in thoughtful stewardship of space as a “commons.” To do this, we need to consider and actively solve for the impact of technological development and human expansion into the cosmos, being mindful to avoid putting short-term ambitions ahead of our long-term responsibilities.

 
 

Our Work

 
 

Space Policy Seminar at Harvard Kennedy School

Aurelia CEO Dr. Ariel Ekblaw will deliver a space policy seminar on March 11, 2025 through the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School. The seminar, “Challenges & Opportunities in Governing Outer Space,” will offer a comprehensive introduction to space policy, exploring its history, contemporary challenges, technological implications, and future. Learn more here.

 

MIT Workshop: Ethics of AI + Space Exploration

Aurelia’s COO Dr. Albert R. Antosca and Aurelia Space Policy Fellow Dr. Partick Lin delivered an interactive workshop at MIT during the MIT Media Lab’s annual Beyond the Cradle event in April, 2024. The workshop “Ethics of AI + Space Exploration” explored the role of AI in our sci-fi space future, discussing how rapidly developing AI technologies can be responsibly designed and ethically implemented in the context of human space exploration.

 
 

Aurelia Institute’s Dr. Ariel Ekblaw appointed to Harvard Kennedy School Fellowship

Aurelia Institute expands its policy work with the appointment of Dr. Ariel Ekblaw to Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs as a Technology and Geopolitics and Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy (DETS) Fellow. At Harvard, Dr. Ekblaw’s work will focus on geopolitics in the context of human spaceflight.

 

Space Policy Fellow

We are excited to announce our newest Aurelia Fellow, Dr. Patrick Lin, supporting Aurelia Institute’s space policy efforts. A professor of philosophy, Dr. Lin is director of the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group at California Polytechnic State University. We are honored to have Dr. Lin’s expertise at Aurelia’s Center for Space Ethics & Policy.

 

Policy Mission & Vision

As part of Aurelia’s humanist approach to scaling life in space, the Center for Space Ethics & Policy addresses both tangible and abstract challenges to building a spacefaring society that is inclusive, sustainable, and accessible to all—from issues of distributing shared resources, to governance of large-scale space communities, to the ethical considerations for designing new space technologies and habitats for life in extreme environments.

The Center for Space Ethics & Policy integrates into the larger Aurelia ecosystem by imbuing ethical principles and policy guidance directly into the work of our education and R&D pillars.

Want to join us on our mission?

Aurelia Institute is a humanist group that cares about both the cutting-edge technical enablers and the cultural, philosophical underpinnings for space exploration. Our position is that space exploration is not about escaping Earth. We’re building toward a better vision for humanity wherever we may be—on Earth, in orbit around it, and beyond.

Subscribe below to our mailing list to learn more about opportunities to engage with our Center for Space Ethics and Policy.