The International Space Exploration Coordination Group’s (ISECG) flagship product is the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER), which reflects a coordinated vision for long-term human and robotic exploration of the solar system. The GER reflects common exploration objectives and shared principles for space exploration.
The 2024 edition of the GER conveys international support for the expansion of humanity’s presence in the solar system. Worldwide space exploration programmes are evolving rapidly, with more and more countries flying missions. The roadmap articulates a common vision for space exploration through 2050, focusing on the priorities of participating ISECG agencies. It begins with foundational activities in low Earth orbit (LEO), covers intensifying exploration human and robotic activities on and around the Moon, and discusses preparation for initial human exploration of Mars. This edition of the roadmap presents an update to the overall exploration mission scenario and participating agencies’ national exploration architectures and summarises upcoming and planned missions. It also discusses other destinations in the solar system, the synergy between robotic and human exploration activities, exciting work by emerging space agencies, the scientific questions that space exploration aims to answer, the growing role of commercialisation in spaceflight, and efforts to develop the technologies that enable increasingly ambitious missions.
Table of contents
Introduction – What’s new in the Global Exploration Roadmap?
Chapter 1 – Why we explore
Chapter 2 – Exploring together
Chapter 3 – Science leads the way
Chapter 4 – Low Earth orbit
Chapter 5 – Exploration on and around the Moon
Chapter 6 – Mars
Chapter 7 – Other Solar System destinations
Chapter 8 – Technologies for space exploration
Chapter 9 – Following a shared path
Appendix – Abbreviations & acronyms
Related links
Brochure – Benefits stemming from space exploration (2nd edition, August 2024)
Feature – Global Exploration Roadmap advanced technologies