Ethically cleared to launch?

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 381; no. 6665; pp. 1408 - 1411
• Main Authors: Rahimzadeh, Vasiliki, Fogarty, Jennifer, Caulfield, Timothy, Auñón-Chancellor, Serena, Borry, Pascal, Candia, Jessica, Cohen, I. Glenn, Covington, Marisa, Lynch, Holly Fernandez, Greely, Henry T., Hanlon, Michelle, Hatt, James, Low, Lucie, Menikoff, Jerry, Meslin, Eric M., Platts, Steven, Ravitsky, Vardit, Ruttley, Tara, Seidler, Rachael D., Sugarman, Jeremy, Urquieta, Emmanuel, Williams, Michael A., Wolpe, Paul Root, Donoviel, Dorit, McGuire, Amy L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington The American Association for the Advancement of Science 29-09-2023
• Subjects: Ethics; Research ethics; Social responsibility; Space flight
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adh9028

Rules are needed for human research in commercial spaceflight
Massive public and private investment in scientific research has enabled the commercial spaceflight industry to expand opportunities in space beyond primarily government-sponsored missions (
1
). Commercial companies endeavor to fly thousands of commercial spaceflight participants (cSFPs) and workers to space in the decades ahead (
2
). Although the future of safe commercial spaceflight depends on rigorous and inclusive research, the ethical conduct of such research is complicated by scientific uncertainty, high attendant risks (
3
), and poorly defined rules for research ethics oversight within the commercial spaceflight industry. Now is the opportune time to develop clear rules for ethical cSFP research while space activities are ramping up and the regulatory environment for commercial spaceflight is actively being shaped. We propose an ethical framework based on terrestrial human research that is anchored in four guiding principles—social responsibility, scientific excellence, proportionality, and global stewardship—and is applicable to the responsible conduct of research in commercial spaceflight.