The Wave of Terrorism in Outer Space and a Call to Counter

Abstract

Purpose: This essay will look at the potential impact of terrorist tactics in the outer space on space security, considering both the attacker's ‘mens rea’. This research aims to investigate various tactics that could aid policymakers in formulating a viable counterterrorism strategy concerning space.

Methodology: This study will be methodically carried out by briefing on the history of outer space terrorism, the concept of space terrorism , cases, theories, possibility, and suggest  policies to counter space terrorism. A review of the literature will be conducted in order to understand the concept. To determine the gap in the international space law system addressing space terrorism, critical examination will be conducted. Articles, books, conference documents were used in the article.

Findings: Terrorism is a serious threat to global peace and security in space, taking advantage of technological advancements. Terrorist attacks can take many different shapes, but they are always the result of a series of events that frequently start with radicalization, the development of extreme opinions, and the embrace of violence as a tool for trying to bring about change. Although terrorist techniques have been used for hundreds of years, they have become more well-known in the last thirty years as a result of the widespread use of television and the internet as multipliers of fear. The 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, DC, as well as the IRA bombs in London from 1971 to 2000 are two instances. In the same time frame, society's demand on space has grown significantly for daily needs. Many systems that affect daily life, such as financial markets, food distribution networks, communication, and navigation, depend on satellite technology.

Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Because of the significant effects that an attack on satellite systems would have on the majority of the world's population, terrorist organizations find them to be especially appealing. Even though there aren't many documented instances of space-related terrorism, it is nevertheless possible and cannot be disregarded that it will recur in various forms. Politicians at all levels—national and international—need to pay attention to it. The threat is apocalyptic since there is no discourse analysis and no definitional context for the topic.