The New Space Race Era: The Exogeoheritage Challenge and Its ConservationOPEN ACCESS 

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B. De Toffoli

JGR Planets, First Published: 9 January 2026

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“Key Points

  • We have entered a new space exploration era with increased missions to celestial bodies and renewed interest in extraterrestrial resources
  • Regarding celestial bodies as barren repositories of resources poses risks to extraterrestrial geoheritage and irreplacable scientific knowledge
  • Exogeoconservation needs geoscience input to evolve, offering data-driven solutions for protecting space environments”

“The escalating pace of space exploration has ushered in a new era reminiscent of the space race of the 1960s. However, the discourse on exogeoconservation—the protection of geological heritage—now demands a prominent place in decision-making processes. This paper underscores the urgency of developing research frameworks, legal regimes, and best practices to ensure sustainable and responsible exploration of extraterrestrial environments. The scientific community holds a pivotal role in quantifying the significance of these environments, safeguard the invaluable heritage of celestial bodies while allowing for responsible resource utilization, and prevent the consequences of unchecked exploration. From the point of view of the geosciences, there is an urgent need to develop tools to allow the identification of geological heritage on celestial bodies, filling a fundamental scientific gap required to establish effective exogeoconservation practices.”

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