Tech Policy Institute
Cornell Brooks School
Research hub
The security and governance of space systems as commercial actors become operational gatekeepers.
This hub examines the security and governance of space systems at a moment when governments depend on commercial providers for capabilities once held by states alone. Our work addresses the cybersecurity of satellites and ground segments, the legal and ethical questions raised when commercial assets become military targets, and the governance gap opening as private operators become the gatekeepers of orbital access.
Within this hub
The Space Cybersecurity node examines the protection of satellites, ground stations, and the data links between them. Building on work in the Aerospace Adversary Lab, it addresses vulnerabilities across critical space infrastructure and the international standards emerging to govern it.
The Commercial Space and Armed Conflict node investigates what follows when privately owned constellations become essential to military operations, from questions of targeting and neutrality to the terms on which states depend on companies they do not control.
Team
Publications
Policy brief
Legal, ethical, and strategic implications of commercial interests in space.
News
News
As governments lean on commercial space systems for military advantage, private companies face an impossible bind, and the rules governing them are decades out of date.
News
Sarah Kreps spoke with Avishai Melamed, a space policy expert, to discuss the history of space exploration and the reasons behind the current race to land on the Moon.
Interview
TPI Director Professor Sarah Kreps sat down with space policy expert, Avishai Melamed, to discuss the history of space exploration and the reasons behind the current race to land on the moon.
News · Cornell Chronicle
Sarah Kreps directs two students analysing public opinion on planetary defence, and how governments should react when asteroids or comets approach Earth.
