Space and Cyber: The Race Above and the Battle Below

This report assesses the accelerating “Space Race 2.0” and the central role of cybersecurity, outlining how state-sponsored actors and supply-chain weaknesses threaten space assets across ground stations, links, and spacecraft; it highlights geopolitical polarization between US- and China-led blocs, cites incidents like the Viasat disruption and signal hijacking, and recommends fundamentals (patching, IAM, IoC ingestion), supplier risk audits, removable-media controls (ATT&CK T1091), and adoption of the SPARTA Matrix to improve defense.