Accounting for non-humans in space exploration

The human ‘conquest’ of outer space has relied upon an array of human-made objects and technologies and earth-born animals and plants that have been involved in the exploration of our planetary outside. These living and inanimate non-humans are important participants in space exploration, yet their extra-planetary presence is insufficiently articulated within the global registers of space law and policy. This paper explores the legal context and ethical issues surrounding their presence in space, suggesting that these nonhuman space explorers warrant attention and nuanced responses which would address their participation in the progression of our futures in space.