The Icy Worlds Planetary Protection Policy is a 2026 cospar update to the international planetary-protection framework descended from Article IX of the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty. Surfaced at abscicon26 (src-abscicon26-media-tips-2-2026-05), the update introduces:
- A formal icy-world classification.
- Empirically anchored bounds on the driest and coldest conditions under which Earth life can survive — defining the contamination-risk envelope.
- A 1,000-year biological-exploration period during which contamination controls apply to icy-world targets, “to preserve them for science.”
The policy directly affects mission design for europa-clipper, JUICE, and any future Enceladus/Europa drill or lander mission. Sister concept to the broader planetary-protection page.