The expansion of human activity into space presents a critical governance gap that could shape civilization's trajectory for centuries. Currently, there's no robust framework addressing everything from satellite traffic management to interplanetary ethics. Early governance decisions could create path dependencies that either prevent catastrophic conflicts or lock in suboptimal norms.

The Governance Opportunity

One approach could focus on making space governance a priority area by combining research, policy development, and community building. This might involve identifying key leverage points through academic literature reviews and expert interviews, then developing adaptable governance frameworks rather than rigid rules. Near-term issues like space debris mitigation could serve as entry points while establishing precedents for long-term structures.

Stakeholder Landscape

Key players have both aligned and competing interests:

• Space companies need predictable rules but may resist restrictions
• Governments balance national interests with stability needs
• International organizations seek relevance in evolving governance

The approach could focus initially on technical coordination issues where alignment is easier, gradually expanding to more complex governance questions.

Execution Pathways

A potential implementation might start with:

1. Producing a comprehensive landscape report mapping existing frameworks
2. Building interdisciplinary networks through workshops
3. Developing principle-based policy proposals for adaptable governance

This could complement existing institutions like UNCOPUOS by addressing research gaps and long-term analysis they may lack capacity to handle systematically.

By taking this structured approach early in humanity's space expansion, there may be opportunities to influence foundational norms that could ripple across generations of interplanetary development.