Our skies are full of satellites, more full than they have been, that is, because SpaceX’s Starlink and a bevvy of other soon-to-launch operators plan to fill them with thousands of small low-earth-orbit craft to blanket the Earth with satellite Internet coverage. Astronomers are horrified at such an assault on their clear skies, space-watchers are fascinated by the latest developments, and in some quarters they’re causing a bit of concern about the security risk they might present. With a lot of regrettable overuse use of the word “hacker”, the concern is that such a large number of craft in the heavens might present an irresistible target for bad actors, who would proceed to steer them into each other can cause chaos.
Invest in undersea cables, folks, the Kessler Syndrome is upon us, we’re doomed!
There Is Little As Dangerous As A Half-Truth
It’s worth taking a while to look at some of these stories, because when it comes to technology coverage there is little so dangerous as a half-truth in the hands of people who think Something Must Be Done™. Hacking satellites is an activity with a pedigree that goes back decades, but the advent of Starlink and others like it does not pose any more danger than any other of the craft launched since Sputnik back in 1957. To find out why it’s worth unpicking the sensationalist reports, and peering back in history a little way to uncover some of the real satellite hacking.
The FUNcube-1 CubeSat. Pa3weg / thousands internet connected satellites above could possibly wrong
