Delegates from more than 30 countries have gathered in the US to try to map out a shared vision for future space exploration.
The US State Department hosted the talks on Thursday, which included government representatives from countries traditionally seen as rivals in the growing industry.
Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, addressing the International Space Exploration Forum in Washington, spoke of a shared stake "in extending humanity's reach further into the solar system, advancing innovation further and faster and extending the benefits of discovery to more people in more places".
"The question facing us today is whether we can muster the courage and political will to advance space exploration and ensure that cooperation continues to trump competition," he says.
Brazil, China, Japan, India and Russia were among the nations represented at the event, at which delegates plan to draft guidelines for global cooperation in efforts to explore and exploit our solar system and beyond.
"As the number of space-faring nations increases, as states' monopoly on knowledge and technology erodes and as commercial interest in space exploration grows, international cooperation will prove more important than ever," Mr Burns said.
More countries should be encouraged to take part in the ISS (International Space Station), and private efforts "vital to the next era of space exploration" should be boosted.
There could also be greater collaboration in defending the planet from space debris and asteroids, Mr Burns said.
Paul Weissenberg, Director General for Enterprise and Industry at the European Commission, said that the costs of space programs were too high for most countries to bear alone.
This meant that cooperation was needed because, "investing in space today is investing in employment, growth, innovation for tomorrow".
Enrico Saggese, president of the Italian space agency, said: "These are investments for the future of mankind."
Hakubun Shimomura, Japan's minister for science and technology, said: "Space exploration, through its broadening of the realms of human potential, is of common value to mankind."
But any international cooperation had to be "politically and financially sustainable", he said, and called for a "clear roadmap for the continuation of space exploration beyond the ISS".
Share
