(This article is in English only)

A virtual panel discussion on “Ethical Reflections on Sample Return Missions” will take place at the UN Science Summit, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), on 24 September 2025.

Sample return missions—from lunar regolith to Martian dust and asteroid fragments—have transformed our understanding of the solar system. But alongside these scientific achievements arise critical ethical questions: Who gets to explore? Who decides what is returned? Whose knowledge counts?

This session will explore the ethical and decolonial dimensions of sample return, drawing parallels with histories of colonial extraction and highlighting how power, politics, and epistemic authority continue to shape space exploration today.

Moderator:
Thilina Heenatigala, Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI)

Speakers:
Niklas Hedman, Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
Lukáš Likavčan, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Natalie Trevino, The Open University- Space Ethics Group
Erik Persson, Lund University

Date & Time: Wednesday, 24 September 2025 – 09:00 UTC | 10:00 BST | 18:00 JST
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Registration: https://event.sciencesummitnyc.org/list-of-sessions/detail/281