The Grey Side of the Moon: A Lunar Security and Governance Tabletop Simulation

AUTHOR: SAMUEL JARDINE, OPEN LUNAR FOUNDATION; SIMON CLEOBURY, GENEVA CENTRE FOR SECURITY POLICY

The Grey Side of the Moon, a lunar security and governance tabletop simulation, brought together around 27 participants, including ambassadors and diplomats from states associated with both the Artemis Accords and the International Lunar Research Station, UN officials and specialists in space, security, cyber policy and law, to explore lunar security and governance.

Delivered jointly by the Open Lunar Foundation and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy on 7 September 2026, alongside the UNIDIR Outer Space Security Conference, it was designed and facilitated by Samuel Jardine, with Simon Cleobury as co-facilitator. Supported by Expert Guides from Secure World Foundation, European Space Policy Institute, Leiden University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Project Ploughshares, and ETH Zurich, participants tested competing legal and political positions against realistic lunar operating constraints.

Participants valued the exercise’s connection between diplomacy and practical lunar operations, and how it built an understanding around emerging lunar security and coordination challenges.