Press Release – The Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities just published The Recommended Framework and Key Elements for Peaceful and Sustainable Lunar Activities

Vienna, Austria – February 10th, 2023

The Moon Village Association, at the 60^th meeting of the United Nations Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (STSC), organized a side event to present the outcomes of the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA). GEGSLA was initiated by MVA to increase coordination mechanisms, individuate the present and future challenges of space lunar missions, and de-risk future operations.

The Group operated between February 2021 and December 2022 and completed its activities by publishing the Recommended Framework and Key Elements for Peaceful and Sustainable Lunar Activities. The Framework Document is considered a starting point to initiate a conversation on lunar coordination, and it was agreed upon by consensus by its Members, which, while acting in their individual capacities, are stakeholders in lunar activities, including representatives from space agencies/government, industry, international organisations, academia and civil society from 23 countries.

The Recommended Framework is complemented by two other documents: Annex 1, “Guidelines for lunar activity implementation and operations”, and Annex 2, “A List of future issues for sustainable lunar activities.” While not object of the Group consensus agreement, these two documents represent a practical guideline on how to tackle the most pressing issues in the future of lunar exploration in the area of Information Sharing; Safe Operations and Lunar Environmental Protection; Compatibility and Interoperability; and Lunar Governance.

As stated by the Chair of GEGSLA, Dr. Dorin Prunariu: “The multi stakeholders participating in the drafting of the Framework document, and the related Annexes, agreed on the text in a short period of time demonstrating the strong determination to find a common level playing field for lunar activities”.

Considering the importance of the GEGSLA activities and following recommendations by its members, starting January 1st, 2023, GEGSLA has started a new operational phase, with the goal of promoting consideration and implementation of the Recommended Framework as well as exchanging information on ongoing lunar missions. In this phase, there is no distinction between Members and Observers, and there are only general Participants in the Group. The over 200 Participants will act on a personal basis, and any views expressed at the meetings or by the Group do not represent the position of organisations to which the participants may belong.

As stated by the MVA President and GEGSLA Executive Secretary Dr. Giuseppe Reibaldi: “The Moon Village Association initiated and hosted GEGSLA since it implements the objectives of fostering international cooperation in the lunar exploration and utilisation that is the main goal of the Moon Village concept. GEGSLA has demonstrated that, with focus objectives, important contributions can be provided to the international community in a very cost-effective way, considering the GEGSLA deliverables have been elaborated mainly online”.

Details of the work plan for 2023, information on how to join the Group, and the “Recommended Framework and Key Elements for Peaceful and Sustainable Lunar Activities” can be found on the GEGSLA web page: https://moonvillageassociation.org/gegsla/about/ or by contacting: gro.n1731216430oitai1731216430cossa1731216430egall1731216430ivnoo1731216430m@als1731216430geg1731216430

Download the Document

About the Moon Village Association 

The Moon Village Association (MVA) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Vienna, founded in 2017. Its goal is the creation of a permanent global informal forum for stakeholders like governments, industry, academia and the general public interested in the development of the Moon Village. The MVA is the assembling of all efforts from private industry, governments and others aimed to explore and use the Moon in a sustainable manner. The MVA fosters cooperation for existing or planned Moon exploration programs, be they public or private initiatives. It comprises more than 800 participants to MVA activities and 27 institutional members from more than 60 countries, representing a diverse array of technical, scientific, cultural and interdisciplinary fields. The MVA partners with non-space organizations to promote international discussions and formulation of plans to foster the development of the Moon Village, and is creating international, national and regional networks to engage civil society around the world. The Moon Village Association’s mission is unique, bridging together both spacefaring and non-spacefaring nations offering them the opportunity to play a role in its realization. There is no other organization on the international scene having such a mission.