A bipartisan group of House members introduced a bill to designate space as a critical infrastructure sector, a move aimed at ensuring the rapidly evolving industry gets adequate resources and future security protections.
The Space Infrastructure Act would direct the Homeland Security secretary to designate space systems, services and technology as a sector of critical infrastructure.
The government currently recognizes 16 infrastructure sectors as critical, such as water, energy, communications and financial services. The space industry, consequently, has had to “rely on collecting threat and security information from a patchwork of the 16 existing sectors,” a press release stated.
A recommendation earlier this year from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 called for space systems to be designated as a critical infrastructure sector.
Members of the commission, which is rooted in helping the U.S. defend against cyberattacks, wrote in a report in April, 2023 that such a move “would close current gaps and signal both at home and abroad that space security and resilience is a top priority.”
The House lawmakers stressed the designation would strengthen national security, especially as the economy increasingly relies on technology support in space.
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