This BBC World Service podcast from December 2022 considers the idea of human settlements in space, speaking to scientists, artists, authors, and entrepreneurs about the practicalities and ethics of life beyond Earth.

What could life in space look like? With space habitation becoming increasingly likely, this December 2022 episode of the BBC's The Documentary Podcast attempts to answer this question.

Teaming up with experts from diverse fields, the Documentary Podcast offers investigatory glimpses into the world's most pressing issues and unknowns.

The idea of human settlement in space raises many practical and ethical issues surrounding housing, crop growing, governance, colonialism, and the role of the private sector.

Starting afresh and building an entirely new society in space – free from the problems and constraints of planet Earth – is appealing but unlikely; structures such as hierarchy and national allegiances are likely to be imported.

But life in space will give extraterrestrial human societies a unique perspective, requiring new legislation and generating unfamiliar kinds of civilizations.