U.S. intelligence agencies are warning the American commercial space industry that foreign spies may be targeting their companies for potential cyberattacks and other intrusions that could result in the theft of their technology and threaten national security.

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the F.B.I. and the Air Force issued the advisory last week, informing private space companies that adversarial intelligence agencies in China and Russia also aim to degrade U.S. satellite capabilities during potential conflicts and emergencies.

The broad warning comes as commercial companies largely funded by billionaires continue to be at the forefront of American innovation in space.

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American private space companies at forefront of innovation

Earlier this month, billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space tourism company launched a space-bound ship with six civilians aboard. And last week, SpaceX, the space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, launched a rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites bound for low-earth orbit.

NASA has also awarded billions of dollars in contracts to SpaceX and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to develop landers that will ferry American astronauts from orbit to the moon’s surface during its upcoming Artemis lunar missions.

“Foreign intelligence entities recognize the importance of the commercial space industry to the U.S. economy and national security, including the growing dependence of critical infrastructure on space-based assets,” the Counterintelligence Center warning said. “They see U.S. space-related innovation and assets as potential threats as well as valuable opportunities to acquire vital technologies and expertise.”

The global space economy is projected to grow from $469 billion in 2021 to more than $1 trillion by 2030, according to estimates cited in the advisory, with the United States being the main driver of growth through its major investments into space research and production.