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Open research questions in Space exploration and regulation

94 gap statements mined from Space exploration and regulation papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 879 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Yet precise, long-term estimates of these cost reductions remain sparse, and the underlying rate of technological learning is poorly understood.

    From Sputnik to Starship: Estimating the experience curve of space launch technology · 2026 · DOI

  • The technology itself is flexible in application and merits further study of its capabilities for implementation in a space crop production system.

    Sowing in space: Seed film enables crew-planted crops on the International Space Station · 2026 · DOI

  • Although the use of the metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industries has been extensively investigated in various contexts, its application in the nascent field of space tourism remains underexplored.

    The metaverse: a giant leap for space tourism or a virtual mirage? · 2025 · DOI

  • Outer space is often described as a frontier – an unsettled, mysterious or wild place that should be explored and eventually inhabited.

    A disappearing frontier?: An ethnographic study of the labour of imagination of SpaceX fans and space creators in South Texas · 2024 · DOI

  • Space security lexicon [“While this is a generally accepted obligation, the meaning of ‘peaceful purposes’ is not understood by all in the same manner. During the third session of the OEWG on Reducing Space Threats, several states – including China – called attention to the growing role of commercial space companies in military operations and urged further study of the political and legal implications.

    The Laws of Heaven: LOAC and the Final Frontier · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of participation of Latin American countries in the global space sector. The systemic legal and policy inequities that perpetuate inequality. The need for more inclusive and equitable governance structures.

    Bridging Legal Gaps: Space Sustainability and Governance Participation from Developing Countries · 2026 · DOI

  • Emerging spacefaring countries lack mechanisms to authorize their private actors. There is a need for a standardized approach to managing launch activities. International compliance and national security are at risk without proper authorization.

    National Authorization of Private Launching Activities: Critical Components of a Commercial Launch License Framework · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of effective governance of outer space. The insufficient legal constraints on safety hazards. The need for new legal frameworks to ensure security and equitable access for all countries.

    Challenges and prospects of ensuring security in the legal regulation of space activities · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper suggests that future research should focus on the topological quality of cosmic relations. The paper calls for a topological approach to cosmic relations. The paper implies that future research should investigate the implications of the interconnectedness of Earth and space.

    Un-Earthing STS: The Topological Quality of Cosmic Relations · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper suggests that the current focus on the extraterrestrial's embeddedness in earthbound categories is limited.

    Un-Earthing STS: The Topological Quality of Cosmic Relations · 2026 · DOI

  • The literature on Science Diplomacy has grown significantly in recent years, but there is still a need for more research on the role of Global South countries in international scientific cooperation. The participation of private institutions in large-scale international scientific collaborations is a rare occurrence in the Latin American and Global South contexts.

    Science diplomacy in the Global South: a case study of Brazilian participation in the PLATO mission · 2026 · DOI

  • First, governments should prioritize investments in analytical and computational infrastructure that enable the interpretation of large-scale scientific datasets. The findings of this study suggest that access to scientific data alone is insufficient to generate governance advantages; the capacity to interpret and operationalize such data is equally important.

    From cosmic data to predictive governance: is the Space-AI Governance Nexus emerging? · 2026 · DOI

  • More than this, we show that the question should not be whether space travel, exploration, or extra-terrestrial colonization ought to be generally human-centric or robot-centric, but rather that each and every mission should be examined on its own, as the values and disadvantages of humans versus robots are apt to be highly specific to the realities of particular discrete missions.

    Humans Versus Robots in Space Exploration and Colonization · 2023 · DOI

  • The GNSS programme offers a range of opportunities for Central and Eastern European societies in which the existence of the E-GNNS (European Global Navigation Satellite System) is still not well known.

    Legal Aspects of European Satellite Navigation Systems in a Time of Change · 2023 · DOI

  • In addition to holding great promise for the burgeoning field of space tourism—pioneered by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Virgin CEO Richard Branson—space is also rich in resources that are scarce on Earth.

    Of Note: The Battle for Celestial Property Rights · 2006 · DOI

  • Future research can extend the paper's results to more general distributions of consumers and configurations of facilities. Future research can study the problem of determining the number and locations of public facilities in space using different social welfare functions.

    An economic theory of public facilities in space · 1985 · DOI

  • The authors' analysis is limited to the period before 1945. The empirical overviews are too descriptive. The links between Part 1 and the remainder of the book are tenuous.

    Contrasting perspectives on transformations in the British space economy · 1984 · DOI

  • The current space policy regime does not adequately address the rights and perspectives of Indigenous peoples. The regime is centered in a Western worldview that may not be compatible with Indigenous views.

    'Unacceptable to our people': Diverse cultural beliefs, Indigenous rights, and the future of human activities on the Moon · 2026

  • The study notes that the existing explanation for the dynamics of countries responding to rival activity is too simplistic.

    Rivalry, Capacity, and GEO Activity: Evidence from a Staggered Difference-in-Differences Design · 2026 · DOI

  • The national institutional support received was consistently limited, and representatives linked to the Brazilian government were not directly involved in the project. The construction of a satellite of this magnitude undergoes an ESA-mediated approval process subject to rejection.

    Science diplomacy in the Global South: a case study of Brazilian participation in the PLATO mission · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper suggests that policy analysts have a rich quarry in the area of space policy. The paper highlights the potential for conceptual progress in the policy sciences and social theory.

    NATIONAL SPACE POLICY: THE FORGOTTEN FRONTIER · 1982 · DOI

  • The paper does not provide a comprehensive solution to the challenges posed by communications latency and time dilation, - The paper is limited to a theoretical examination…

    “In Space, No One Can Hear You Plead”: Questions of Semiotics Arising from the Legal Impact of Communications Latency and Time Dilation in Deep Space Missions · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the existing literature on the legal impact of communications latency and time dilation, - The paper highlights the need for further research on the potential of legal semiotics to address…

    “In Space, No One Can Hear You Plead”: Questions of Semiotics Arising from the Legal Impact of Communications Latency and Time Dilation in Deep Space Missions · 2026 · DOI

  • This article situates the conference in its historical context, discusses the achievement of a minimalist version of "guaranteed access" through the adoption of the allotment plan, but finds the regulatory framework deficient in that: (a) the status quo prevailed in the majority of the radio spectrum, (b) the presence of "existing systems" in the allotment plan imposed severe constraints, and (c) proportional burden…

    Space WARC: A new regulatory environment for communication satellites? · 1991 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the historical and political context of the space race - The paper explores the debates and decisions surrounding the US space…

    Sputnik, the space race, and the Cold War · 1985 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Space exploration and regulation

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of participation of Latin American countries in the global space sector (“Bridging Legal Gaps: Space Sustainability and Governance Participation from…”, 2026); (2) There is a need for a standardized approach to managing launch activities (“National Authorization of Private Launching Activities: Critical Components of…”, 2026); (3) The paper suggests that future research should focus on the topological quality of cosmic relations (“Un-Earthing STS: The Topological Quality of Cosmic Relations”, 2026); (4) Although the use of the metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industries has been extensively investigated in various contexts, its application in the nascent field of space tourism remains underexplored (“The metaverse: a giant leap for space tourism or a virtual mirage?”, 2025); (5) The GNSS programme offers a range of opportunities for Central and Eastern European societies in which the existence of the E-GNNS (European Global Navigation Satellite System) is still not well known (“Legal Aspects of European Satellite Navigation Systems in a Time of Change”, 2023). 94 gap statements have been mined from Space exploration and regulation papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 879 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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