The attacker aims at the spacecraft’s own proximity-awareness stack, cameras, star-tracker side products, lidar/radar, RF transponders, and the onboard fusion that estimates nearby objects. Methods include optical dazzling or reflective camouflage that confuses centroiding and detection, RCS management to fall below radar gate thresholds, intermittent or misleading transponder replies, and presentation of spoofed fiducials or optical patterns tuned to the vehicle’s detection algorithms. By biasing these local sensors and their fusion logic, the adversary hides approach, distorts relative-state estimates, or induces the target to classify a nearby object as benign clutter, masking proximity operations without relying on external catalog errors.
| ID | Name | Tiering | Description | NIST Rev5 | ISO 27001 | Onboard SV | Ground | |
| CM0077 | Space Domain Awareness | Space domain awareness (SDA) enables mission owners to detect and characterize objects, behaviors, environmental conditions, and anomalous events that may affect their space systems. When correlated with other intelligence and mission data, SDA can also support assessment of possible threats and attribution. SDA encompasses the tracking and cataloging of space objects, prediction of future object positions, monitoring of the space environment and space weather, and characterization of the capabilities and behaviors of on-orbit objects. SDA data must provide the accuracy, timeliness, coverage, and characterization needed for the mission’s defined decisions. Publicly available data may support general awareness but may be insufficient for time-sensitive conjunction, proximity, or threat assessment; appropriate government, commercial, partner, or owner-operator data should be obtained where required. SDA is generated by a diverse sensor architecture spanning terrestrial optical, infrared, and radar systems and space-based sensors including inspector satellites capable of close-approach observation. The SDA landscape is increasingly populated by national space agencies, military programs, allied partners, commercial providers, and amateur tracking communities, making the space environment progressively more transparent and creating opportunities for mission owners to leverage diverse data sources to build a more complete operational picture. | CP-13 CP-2(3) CP-2(5) CP-2(7) PE-20 PE-6 PE-6(1) PE-6(2) PE-6(4) RA-6 SI-4(17) | A.5.29 A.7.4 A.8.16 A.7.4 A.7.4 A.5.10 | ||||
| CM0079 | Maneuverability | Spacecraft maneuverability provides an active physical defense capability against kinetic and certain directed energy threats by enabling the satellite to relocate from a predicted intercept trajectory when a threat is detected with sufficient warning time. Against unguided projectiles, maneuvering out of the predicted impact trajectory can be effective, requiring only sufficient delta-v and warning time to execute a displacement maneuver before impact. Against guided threats, including direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and co-orbital ASAT platforms equipped with onboard sensors, maneuverability is significantly more constrained in its effectiveness; evasion requires displacing the satellite beyond the seeker or sensor acquisition range of the guided warhead, which demands larger delta-v margins and more precise threat characterization than unguided intercept scenarios. The effectiveness of maneuverability as a countermeasure is therefore strongly dependent on the warning time provided by space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities, the propulsion capacity of the spacecraft, the fidelity of threat trajectory characterization, and whether the threat employs passive or active terminal guidance. Maneuverability also provides operational flexibility for avoiding predictable orbital slots that adversaries may have targeted in advance, complicating targeting planning even in the absence of an active threat event. | CP-10(6) CP-13 CP-2 CP-2(1) CP-2(3) CP-2(5) PE-20 PE-21 | 7.5.1 7.5.2 7.5.3 A.5.2 A.5.29 A.8.1 A.5.30 A.5.29 A.5.10 | ||||
| CM0081 | Defensive Jamming and Spoofing | Defensive jamming and spoofing are active electronic countermeasures that may disrupt or deceive the terminal guidance sensors of an incoming kinetic anti-satellite weapon. When combined with evasive maneuvering, these measures may reduce the accuracy of the threat’s targeting solution and lower the probability of a successful intercept. Effectiveness depends on timely threat detection, knowledge of the relevant sensor characteristics, available transmit power and geometry, and the threat’s ability to recognize or overcome the countermeasure. Development, testing, and employment of these capabilities must occur only under applicable governmental authorization, spectrum authority, rules of engagement, and information-protection requirements. The design must limit unintended interference and account for effects on friendly, civil, and safety-related radio services. | CP-10(6) CP-13 CP-2 CP-2(1) CP-2(5) CP-2(7) PE-20 | 7.5.1 7.5.2 7.5.3 A.5.2 A.5.29 A.8.1 A.5.30 A.5.29 A.5.10 | ||||
| CM0086 | Filtering and Shuttering | Optical filters and shutters are passive and active protective mechanisms for remote sensing spacecraft sensors against laser dazzling and blinding attacks that exploit the same optical pathways used for legitimate mission collection. Optical filters selectively attenuate light outside the sensor's design wavelength bands, blocking laser energy at wavelengths that fall outside the mission's collection bands while preserving sensitivity to legitimate return signals; however, filters provide no protection against lasers operating at the same wavelengths the sensor is designed to detect, as filtering those wavelengths would simultaneously block the sensor from its intended mission function. Shutters provide complementary broadband protection by blocking or diverting light from the protected detector path when an exposure threshold or other anomaly criterion is met. Protection depends on the threat-detection latency, decision time, shutter actuation time, optical leakage, and duration of the incident illumination. A shutter may limit exposure from sustained or repeated illumination, but it must not be assumed to prevent damage from a short pulse that deposits damaging energy before closure. Together, filters and shutters provide layered protection: filters continuously attenuate selected wavelengths, while shutters can limit additional exposure from threats that cannot be sufficiently rejected by filtering. The fundamental tradeoff of shuttering is that it trades temporary collection interruption for sensor preservation, making the shutter activation threshold a critical design parameter that must balance sensor protection against mission data continuity requirements. Sustainment activities are limited because the filter and shutter hardware is generally fixed after launch, but operational monitoring, calibration assessment, mechanism exercising, threshold configuration control, and post-event analysis remain applicable. | CP-13 PE-18 SC-30(5) SC-5 SC-5(3) | A.5.29 A.5.10 A.7.5 A.7.8 | ||||
| CM0087 | Defensive Dazzling/Blinding | Defensive dazzling and blinding employs directed laser energy to degrade or defeat the optical or infrared (IR) sensors of adversary systems, providing an active countermeasure against kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and adversary reconnaissance platforms in the space domain. Against kinetic ASAT threats, laser energy directed toward the terminal guidance sensor of an incoming weapon may temporarily saturate, disrupt, or damage the sensor and reduce the accuracy of terminal guidance. When coordinated with evasive maneuvering, this capability may reduce the probability of a successful intercept. Effectiveness depends on timely threat detection, target-sensor characteristics, engagement geometry, laser performance, pointing accuracy, dwell time, and the threat’s ability to maintain or recover guidance. Against adversary inspector satellites or SDA collection platforms, defensive dazzling may temporarily degrade or deny optical or infrared collection of the protected spacecraft. Permanent sensor damage is a materially different effect that requires separate authorization, targeting criteria, and escalation analysis. Dazzling generally produces temporary sensor degradation, while blinding produces permanent sensor damage. Both effects carry legal, policy, safety, and escalation implications, but their legal characterization depends on the target, circumstances, intended effect, actual consequences, and applicable national and international authorities. Employment authorities and prohibited target or effect categories must be established before the capability is operationally relied upon. | CP-10(6) CP-13 CP-2 CP-2(1) CP-2(5) CP-2(7) PE-20 SC-30(5) | 7.5.1 7.5.2 7.5.3 A.5.2 A.5.29 A.8.1 A.5.30 A.5.29 A.5.10 | ||||
| CM0034 | Monitor Critical Telemetry Points | Monitoring defined spacecraft telemetry points provides a key source of evidence for detecting adversary activity against on-orbit systems, where observability is largely limited to the events and conditions the spacecraft can sense, record, and report. Monitored telemetry must include both accepted and rejected commands, command mode transitions, command counters, and other indicators of commanding activity, enabling detection of unauthorized command attempts that fail authentication as well as anomalous patterns in legitimate command traffic. Monitoring scope should include RF and link-quality indicators that support detection and triage of interference or suspected jamming. These indicators should be correlated with expected link conditions and other available evidence before hostile activity is concluded. Security-relevant telemetry should be integrated and time-correlated with ground-based defensive cyber operations infrastructure, including security information and event management (SIEM) and audit platforms, to provide unified space-system cybersecurity situational awareness. The resulting view should correlate spacecraft observations with relevant ground-system security events while accounting for telemetry latency, contact availability, and other observability limitations. | AC-17(1) AU-3(1) CA-7(6) IR-4(14) PL-8 PL-8(1) SA-8(13) SC-16 SC-16(1) SC-7 SI-3(8) SI-4(7) | A.8.16 A.5.8 A.5.14 A.8.16 A.8.20 A.8.22 A.8.23 A.8.26 | ||||
| CM0032 | On-board Intrusion Detection & Prevention | An on-board intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS) monitors mission-critical spacecraft components and systems, generates and stores audit records, and supports mission-approved responses to detected threats. Depending on the mission architecture, threat, and availability of ground support, responses may be autonomous, ground-directed, or a combination of both. The system should address both known attack patterns and previously unseen anomalous behavior through complementary signature-based and behavior- or anomaly-based detection methods. Machine learning or adaptive technologies may be used when their performance, resource consumption, and failure behavior have been validated for the mission environment. Detection and response coverage should address applicable adversary activities across the attack lifecycle, including initial access, execution, persistence, defense evasion, and exfiltration. The on-board IDS/IPS must be integrated with the spacecraft's traditional fault management system to provide a unified approach to anomaly response, ensuring that cyber-triggered responses are compatible with fault management logic and do not produce unintended effects or fratricide against the spacecraft's own systems; countermeasures that are incompatible with fault management are considered unsafe and must not be executed autonomously. The response hierarchy must prioritize vehicle safety and continued mission operations. Advanced containment or deception responses may be considered when they can be executed without unacceptable mission risk. The system should preserve evidence that supports post-event analysis, threat characterization, and potential attribution by authorized ground support. | AU-14 AU-2 AU-3 AU-3(1) AU-4 AU-4(1) AU-5 AU-5(2) AU-5(5) AU-6(1) AU-6(4) AU-8 AU-9 AU-9(2) AU-9(3) CA-7(6) CM-11(3) CP-10 CP-10(4) IR-4 IR-4(11) IR-4(12) IR-4(14) IR-4(5) IR-5 IR-5(1) PL-8 PL-8(1) RA-10 RA-3(4) SA-8(21) SA-8(22) SA-8(23) SC-16(2) SC-32(1) SC-5 SC-5(3) SC-7(10) SC-7(9) SI-10(6) SI-16 SI-17 SI-3 SI-3(10) SI-3(8) SI-4 SI-4(1) SI-4(10) SI-4(11) SI-4(13) SI-4(16) SI-4(17) SI-4(2) SI-4(23) SI-4(24) SI-4(25) SI-4(4) SI-4(5) SI-4(7) SI-6 SI-7(17) SI-7(8) | A.8.15 A.8.15 A.8.6 A.8.17 A.5.33 A.8.15 A.8.15 A.5.29 A.5.25 A.5.26 A.5.27 A.5.8 A.5.7 A.8.12 A.8.7 A.8.16 A.8.16 A.8.16 A.8.16 | ||||
| CM0051 | Fault Injection Redundancy | Fault injection attacks deliberately induce errors in executing hardware or software, typically by manipulating voltage, clock signals, electromagnetic fields, or radiation, to corrupt computation and extract sensitive information or bypass security controls through observable fault effects. For mission-critical functions that must be protected against fault-based side-channel attacks, particularly cryptographic operations, redundancy-based countermeasures provide a robust detection and mitigation mechanism. The approach executes a protected function through two or more spatially or temporally redundant computations and compares their results. A mismatch indicates a computation fault or implementation discrepancy but does not by itself establish that fault injection occurred. With two results, the system can generally detect disagreement but cannot determine which result is valid. A voter or selection mechanism may provide fault masking only when the number of replicas, independence assumptions, and defined fault model support reliable adjudication; otherwise, the result must be rejected and a mission-approved protective response initiated. Although spacecraft sensor nodes and embedded processors operate under constrained resources, the functions most critical to protect through redundancy are typically cryptographic routines, whose execution footprint is bounded and whose compromise would have disproportionate mission security consequences. | CP-4(5) PL-8 PL-8(1) SA-3 SA-8 SA-8(30) SI-13 SI-4(25) | A.5.8 A.5.2 A.5.8 A.8.25 A.8.31 A.8.27 A.8.28 | ||||