Space Pirates Are No Longer Confined To Works Of Science Fiction

The swashbuckling spacefarers of science fiction are no longer just a product of Hollywood's imagination. With the increasing volume and value of satellites, industry experts are sounding the alarm that preventative measures should be explored to prevent space piracy before it becomes a crisis.

Commercial space financier Marc Feldman and cybersecurity expert Hugh Taylor founded the Center for Study of Space Crime, Piracy, and Governance while conducting research for their book "Space Piracy: Preparing for a Criminal Crisis in Orbit," released earlier this year. The think tank ties the potential threat to the rise of commercial activity in orbit.

"Pirates could hold satellite networks for ransom and threaten to derail globally transmitted live television broadcasts, like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Games," Feldman speculated in an interview with Space.com. He also warned that there could be physical attacks at launch sites and ground control stations. Who will protect our space assets?

Feldman and Taylor aren't alone in their concerns. Since 2020, the Department of the Air Force has organized Hack-A-Sat, a space-focused hacking competition. By the event's 4th edition in 2023, a team of Italian hackers successfully broke into the US Air Force Moonlighter to win a $50,000 prize. It was the first time competitors were tasked with hacking into an actual satellite.

Despite the nation's long history of combating global piracy, the Pentagon has no real-world experience to reference. The competition is meant to find gaps in the military's cybersecurity, and low Earth orbit is a far cry from the shores of Tripoli during the early 18th century. However, as seen in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, national security is at stake in orbit.

Russian forces launched a cyberattack against Viasat, an American satellite company, on the same day it began the war in 2022. Elon Musk also played a pivotal role in the conflict when he locked Ukraine's military out of Starlink just months later. With tensions escalating and activists calling domestic terrorism against Tesla, it's possible that SpaceX could be targeted next.

The stakes are high, and the threat is real. As space piracy becomes increasingly likely, it's essential to take preventative measures to protect our satellite networks and national security interests. The question remains: who will step up to defend our space assets?