Space Ethics

How should humanity act as it expands into space?

Join the Summer School in Space Ethics and explore the moral challenges of our growing presence beyond Earth. Combining applied ethics with technical and scientific foundations, the programme equips participants with the critical tools needed to analyse the most pressing dilemmas of space exploration.

Core topics include:

• the dual-use nature of space technologies: balancing civilian innovation with international security;
• the growing issue of space debris and the responsibilities of governments and private companies in ensuring long-term sustainability;
• the ethics of space settlement: from planetary protection to the rights of future generations;
• the impact of large nanosatellite constellations on space traffic, astronomy, and the environment.

International experts will lead lectures and hands-on workshops, while research on space-related topics will be showcased throughout the week. You will also take part in team activities and a final group presentation, putting your critical thinking skills into practice.

Field trips will bring theory to life: explore the Padua sites linked to Galileo Galilei's discoveries, and spend an evening of guided stargazing at the Asiago Astrophysical Observatory, engaging with scientists on the ethical frontiers of space research.

Open to students from around the world, this Summer School offers a unique chance to network with peers and leading scholars in a highly interdisciplinary field.

Join us to help shape space exploration responsibly and ethically!

International Relations Office

Palazzo Anselmi
Lungargine del Piovego 1 - 35131 Padua

email: summerschool@unipd.it