New Dimensions for a Challenging Security Environment: Growing Exposure to Critical Space Infrastructure Disruption Risk

Abstract

Abstract Space systems have become a key enabler for a wide variety of applications that are vital to the functioning of advanced societies. The trend is one of quantitative and qualitative increase of this dependence, so much so that space systems have been described as a new example of critical infrastructure. This article argues that the existence of critical space infrastructures implies the emergence of a new category of disasters related to disruption risks. We inventory those risks and make policy recommendations for what is, ultimately, a resilience governance issue.

Keywords

• Complex systems
• Infrastructure disruption
• Resilience governance
• Space infrastructure
• System interdependencies