Working Towards an 18th Sustainable Development Goal - "Space for All": An Interview with Chiara Moenter

Chiara Moenter’s interview begins with the powerful "overview effect"—the awe astronauts feel viewing Earth as a fragile, borderless sphere. That emotional shift sparked her commitment to treat space as a shared global commons, leading to the co‑creation of SDG 18, a proposed 18th Sustainable Development Goal that explicitly recognizes space’s critical role in climate monitoring, disaster response, education and connectivity. By framing space as an essential pillar of the UN agenda, the initiative highlights a glaring omission in the current 17‑goal framework and argues for its inclusion in post‑2030 planning.

The conversation then maps the fragmented landscape of space sustainability. Existing efforts span debris mitigation, space traffic management, lunar heritage protection, and emerging resource mining, yet they operate in silos. Moenter’s SDG 18 seeks to consolidate these strands under a unified governance model that balances environmental stewardship, economic opportunity, and social equity. She stresses that the social dimension—public awareness, inclusive dialogue, and equitable access—is often overlooked in technical forums, despite being vital for fostering responsible behavior across both governmental and commercial actors.

Looking ahead, Moenter warns that policy must keep pace with the rapid expansion of the new space economy. Commercial launch providers, satellite constellations, and multinational ventures demand agile regulatory frameworks that protect the global commons while encouraging innovation. She calls on professionals, students, and citizens to amplify the conversation, support interdisciplinary research, and contribute ideas to emerging governance drafts. By bridging the gap between space data’s terrestrial benefits and the need for sustainable practices beyond Earth, the SDG 18 movement aims to embed space stewardship into the broader sustainability narrative.