Legal vacuum: Threat of space terrorism is no longer science fiction

As satellite technology accelerates and space becomes increasingly accessible to private and state actors alike, an unsettling new threat looms above Earth’s atmosphere: space terrorism.

Once the domain of science fiction, the idea of terrorist activity in outer space is now a growing concern among experts. The democratisation of space has opened doors not only to innovation but also to vulnerability, and current legal frameworks may not be equipped to respond.

Over the past decade, the rise of commercial space ventures and falling satellite development costs have dramatically lowered the barriers to becoming “spacefaring”. This shift has empowered governments, private corporations and, more alarmingly, non-state actors. Groups once considered irrelevant to space security are now capable