Space ethics

Space ethics, astroethics or astrobioethics^[1] is a discipline of applied ethics that discusses the moral and ethical implications arising from astrobiological research, space exploration and space flight.^{[citation needed]} It deals with practical contemporary issues like the protection of the space environment^[2] and hypothetical future issues pertaining to our interaction with extraterrestrial life forms.

Specific issues of space ethics include space debris mitigation and the militarization of space, but also more theoretical topics like space colonization,^[3] terraforming and space mining. The field also concerns itself with more fundamental moral questions, such as the ethicality of SETI and METI, the intrinsic value of extraterrestrial life, and how humans should treat extraterrestrial non-intelligent life (like microbes) and extraterrestrial intelligent life (and whether this distinction should be made in the first place).

Astroethical issues are often discussed as elements of broader issues such as general environmental protection and imperialism.^[4] Astroethics have been described as an emerging discipline gaining in attention, a "necessity for astrobiology" and a "true issue for the future of astrobiology".^[1]