The Space highlights the Vatican as a new area of humanity’s responsibility on the day NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center today, April 1, 2026.

The mission, with a crew of four, is expected to make a wide orbit around the Moon without a landing, serving as a critical step before the next phase of the program: returning humans to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 on Dec. 14, 1972.

On the occasion of the launch, Caritas in Veritate Foundation presented a video and a study entitled “Outer Space and Humanity at the Crossroads: a New Frontier of the Common Good”, attempting to lay the foundations of an ethical approach to space exploration.

It highlights the various views, perspectives, and principles that should inform one’s approach to it.

In his interview with the Vatican Channel, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero asserts that “space must remain a common good, with a clear legal framework and a sense of responsibility towards humanity and future generations.”

In fact, today marks the entry into a new era, where space ceases to be a mere place of exploration and becomes a field of political, ethical, and geopolitical decisions.

The growing presence of satellites and the intensification of competition between states and private actors have made space a subject of intense debate in international fora such as the United Nations.

The president of the Foundation and Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the United Nations in Geneva, Ettore Balestrero, stresses that space cannot be treated as “terra nullius”, i.e., a neutral and unconquered territory to be conquered by the first to arrive.

According to him, the ethical approach to space prompts us to ask whether it is right to ‘chase’ everything we can conquer through technology.

“The decisions being made today about space are deeply moral and will affect the future of humanity,” he says, stressing that the Church cannot remain indifferent to these developments.

The “overview effect”

Of particular importance is the so-called ‘overview effect’, the experience that astronauts have when they see the Earth from space: a small, fragile planet without borders.

The small, unbreakable planet.

This perspective, as described by astronauts such as Michael Scott Hopkins, generates a deep sense of shared destiny and responsibility, as it is an image that contrasts sharply with the conflicts and inequalities that characterize life on Earth.

Already in his time, Pope Benedict XVI had pointed out this contradiction in conversation with astronauts on the International Space Station: “I think it is obvious that we all coexist on Earth and how absurd it is to fight and kill each other.”

The legal vacuum and the danger of militarisation

The central message of the Church is that we must not turn Space into a ‘jungle’. Instead, humanity is now being given a ‘second chance’, calling us to avoid the mistakes that are being made on Earth.

For this reason, as the Archbishop notes, the exploration of Space should be done with responsibility, solidarity, and respect for all. On the contrary, the transformation of Space into a field of uncontrolled competition or – even worse – conflict must be avoided.

Despite the existence of the 1967 international treaty known as the Outer Space Treaty, signed by 120 states, which states that space is the “common heritage of mankind”, today’s realities raise new questions.

The treaty prohibits the development of weapons of mass destruction in space, but leaves “grey areas” regarding the use of conventional weapons, cyber attacks, and interference with satellite signals.

According to Balestrero, some states are already considering deploying weapons systems in orbit, which could turn space into a new field of conflict.

“A war in space would have no winners – and its consequences would affect the entire Earth,” he warns.

The crucial question, therefore, is whether space will evolve into a space of confrontation or international cooperation. The balance between the two is crucial.

Competition can foster innovation, but without cooperation, it leads to inequalities, conflicts, and exclusion.

“Here in Geneva,” says the Archbishop, “it is often said that a war in space can never be won, must never be started. For example, it would be difficult to apply the principle of discrimination, one of the cornerstones of international law.

Therefore, including the Holy See, we should all call for the strengthening of the institutional framework, transparency, and cooperation to ensure the peaceful management of outer space.”

A collaborative approach can harness space for the benefit of humanity, through improved crisis communication systems, agricultural and environmental data, advances in health and transport, and support for isolated or vulnerable communities.

Science and faith are connected

One of the most interesting aspects of the Vatican intervention is the link between science and faith. As emphasized, these two approaches do not conflict but complement each other.

Specifically, science answers the “how”, while faith illuminates the “why”. In the field of space, this synthesis takes on particular importance because technological progress must be accompanied by moral guidance so that it does not become an instrument of domination or destruction.

The basic message that emerges is clear: through the strengthening of international cooperation, the updating of legal frameworks, and a commitment to the concept of the common good, Space can remain a place of peaceful coexistence and progress.

Otherwise, there is a risk of repeating – on an even larger scale – the same patterns of competition and conflict that have marked human history.