China's Cyberwar on Space Demands Urgent Action Now to Protect Our Future

The digital realm has become a battleground, and space systems, once thought invulnerable, now face relentless cyberattacks. At the Space Force's Cyber Expo 2025, John Garstka, a senior Defense Department official, sounded the alarm: adversaries, particularly China, are targeting the very infrastructure that powers our satellites and defense networks. This isn't a distant hypothetical. It's a clear and present danger to national security, economic stability, and the democratic values we hold dear.

Garstka's warnings, delivered virtually from the Pentagon, underscore a sobering reality. Cyberspace, the fifth warfighting domain alongside air, land, sea, and space, is no longer an abstract concept. It's where our adversaries strike with precision, exploiting vulnerabilities in commercial and defense infrastructure. The stakes are staggering. A single breach could cripple power grids, halt satellite communications, or disrupt military operations, leaving us exposed in ways we can scarcely imagine.

Yet, the response from some quarters remains dangerously complacent. Policymakers who prioritize short-term budgets over long-term security fail to grasp the gravity of this threat. Their reluctance to invest in robust cybersecurity for space systems and the defense industrial base risks ceding ground to authoritarian regimes. We cannot afford to treat this as a secondary issue. The integrity of our space assets is foundational to our way of life, from GPS navigation to global communications.

This moment demands bold, unified action. We must rally behind policies that prioritize resilience, collaboration, and innovation to protect our space systems and the critical infrastructure they depend on. Anything less is an invitation to disaster.

Garstka highlighted a chilling truth: cyberattacks on the defense industrial base can grind production lines to a halt. Over 160,000 companies, many small businesses, form the backbone of this sector, yet they face a 300% surge in cyberattacks since 2018. These aren't just statistics. They're disruptions that delay critical defense projects, weaken military readiness, and embolden adversaries who thrive on our vulnerabilities.

China's relentless campaigns, like Volt Typhoon, target intellectual property and infrastructure, pre-positioning for chaos during crises. The 2022 ViaSat disruption during the Ukraine conflict showed how cyberattacks can sever communications, leaving forces stranded. These incidents reveal a pattern: authoritarian states exploit our reliance on interconnected systems, from power grids to satellite ground stations, to undermine democratic resilience.

Some argue that market-driven solutions or minimal regulations will suffice. This is a fantasy. Small businesses, which make up 70% of the defense industrial base, lack the resources to meet standards like the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. Without government support, they remain soft targets. Deregulation advocates ignore the asymmetry of this fight, where state-backed hackers wield resources far beyond any private company's reach. Only collective action, rooted in public-private partnerships, can level the playing field.

The evidence is clear. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reports that 62% of critical infrastructure operators faced attacks last year, with 57% suffering disruptions. Water, energy, and communications systems are prime targets, and space systems are no exception. We must act decisively to harden these assets, not with half-measures, but with a commitment to security as a public good.

Protecting space systems requires a new paradigm, one that transcends bureaucratic silos and embraces collaboration. The U.S. Department of Defense’s 2023 Cyber Strategy offers a blueprint, emphasizing integrated deterrence and persistent engagement with adversaries. But this strategy hinges on partnerships. The Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, uniting public and private defenders, has proven effective in thwarting threats like the SolarWinds attack. Expanding these efforts to include space systems is non-negotiable.

Internationally, allies are stepping up. The European Union’s cybersecurity agency advocates zero trust architectures and secure-by-design principles for satellites. Projects like Aerospace’s Starshield prototype demonstrate that onboard intrusion detection can work. Yet, the U.S. lags in mandating such standards across commercial and government space assets. We need policies that incentivize innovation, fund small businesses, and ensure that cybersecurity is embedded from design to deployment.

Opponents of robust government intervention claim it stifles industry. This ignores reality. The private sector, while innovative, cannot counter state-sponsored threats alone. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Extension Act offers a model, providing legal protections for companies that share threat data. Scaling this framework to prioritize space systems and the defense industrial base would empower industry, not constrain it. We must reject the false dichotomy between security and freedom.

The path ahead is daunting but clear. We need sustained investment in AI-driven threat detection, zero trust architectures, and resilient space systems. The White House’s January 2025 report calls for exactly this, urging solutions tailored to the unique constraints of space assets. NASA’s push for autonomous, on-orbit defenses is a start, but it requires funding and political will to scale.

This is about more than technology. It’s about safeguarding the democratic principles that define us. Cyberattacks on space systems and critical infrastructure threaten not just our security, but our ability to live freely, communicate openly, and trust in the systems that underpin our society. We cannot let authoritarian regimes dictate the terms of this fight. By uniting government, industry, and allies in a shared mission, we can build a future where our space systems are secure, our infrastructure resilient, and our values intact.