The mission of the Open Universe initiative is to make astronomy and space science data much more openly available, easily discoverable, free of bureaucratic, administrative or technical barriers, and therefore usable by the widest possible community, from professional researchers to all people interested in space science, in all parts of the world.
In doing so, Open Universe aims to support an increase in productivity of space research, facilitate the emerging field of data-driven science, and stimulate a significant acceleration towards the democratisation of space science and the benefits therefrom.
Initially proposed in 2016 to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), Open Universe is now actively developed by a number of countries (Italy, Brazil, Armenia, and Argentina) and international scientific institutions, in coordination with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
In this phase Open Universe gives access to a number of services, is engaged in the generation of several user-ready space science data sets, and in scientific activities, including: