THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The conversation under Creative Commons License.
The US military recently launched an innovative initiative to strengthen ties with the commercial space industryThe goal is to integrate commercial equipment into military space operations, including satellites and other equipment, which would improve the cybersecurity of military satellites.
As space becomes more important to the world’s critical infrastructure, the risk of hostile nation-states implementing cyberattacks against important satellites and other space infrastructure increases. Targets would include not only spy satellites or military communications satellites, but also commercial spacecraft.
The US Department of Defense believes that its new partnership, called Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR)would enhance U.S. national security and the country’s competitive advantage in space. It would go far beyond the existing relationship between the government and the private contractor.
In some cases, the commercial sector has advanced rapidly beyond the capabilities of the government. This situation exists in many space-capable countries and may also apply in certain areas of the US.
Some nation-state governments are therefore faced with a choice. They could use custom-built systems to protect their satellites, even if they are outdated, or they could use other commercial (and potentially more advanced) “off-the-shelf” components. However, commercial hardware may not be as well understood in terms of its vulnerabilities to cyberattacks.
However, the US military believes that CASR will provide it with advanced strategic capabilities and that potential risks can be minimized by actively avoiding over-reliance on a single commercial entity.
The supply chain is intended to move the U.S. military from a restricted group of commercial suppliers to a broader spectrum of partners. However, there are also risks with a larger group of commercial suppliers. Some might not be able to meet the demands of military contracts, could encounter financial instability, or encounter other pressures that hamper their ability to supply critical components.
New priorities
In 2022, there was a cyberattack on the KA-Sat consumer satellite broadband service. It focused on satellites that provide broadband. and interrupted the service.
There are many ways to attack another state’s satellites, such as anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, which are often designed to destroy or physically disable the spacecraft. However, compared to ASATs, cyber attacks can be carried out in ways that are Cheaper, faster and harder to track..
Part of the critical need to prioritize cybersecurity as a result of this strategy is that the United States is an attractive market for global players in space. Therefore, this strategic shift by the U.S. Department of Defense is likely to encourage more global companies to participate.
Resilience to cyberattacks in the space industry has not always been a top priority. It will likely be some time before this enters the thinking of key players in the space sector.
This historical lack of emphasis on cybersecurity in space highlights an obvious need. There are also inconsistencies and gaps regarding basic cyber requirements for government and industry, which vary depending on the stance of each nation-state.