AI-Driven Cyber Architectures in Cislunar Space and Challenges for International Law
33rd UN/IAF Workshop on Space Economy Opportunities for Emerging Nations, Antalya, Türkiye, 3 - 04 Ekim 2026, ss.1-32, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Antalya
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-32
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The expansion of human and robotic activities beyond Earth orbit is transforming cislunar space into an increasingly interconnected operational environment. Future lunar missions will depend on artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous spacecraft, communication relays, navigation services, ground stations, and interconnected digital infrastructures. While these developments promise greater operational efficiency and sustained lunar exploration, they also introduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities that extend beyond conventional satellite security. Cyber intrusions, compromised autonomous decision-making, manipulated navigation data, interference with communication links, and attacks against shared digital infrastructures may threaten not only individual missions but also the safety, continuity, and security of cislunar operations.
This paper examines the emerging cyber threat landscape in cislunar space and evaluates the capacity of existing international law to address these challenges. Particular attention is given to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, especially Articles III, VI, VIII, and IX, concerning the applicability of international law, State responsibility, jurisdiction and control, and due regard for the interests of other States. It investigates how AI-enabled autonomy, distributed cyber architectures, and growing dependence on commercial service providers complicate the implementation of existing obligations, the attribution of internationally wrongful conduct, and the assessment of harmful interference and resulting damage.
The central argument is that international space law remains applicable to AI-driven cislunar activities, but its existing framework does not sufficiently specify the cybersecurity measures, supervisory mechanisms, and operational safeguards necessary for increasingly autonomous and interconnected systems. Rather than treating cybersecurity exclusively as a technical concern, the paper advocates a function-oriented legal approach that distinguishes threats to physical integrity, functional integrity, and service continuity. It concludes by identifying priorities for States developing lunar capabilities, including cybersecurity resilience, effective supervision, international coordination, and the progressive development of interoperable security standards to support the safe and sustainable exploration and use of cislunar space.
Keywords: Cislunar Space; Space Cybersecurity; Artificial Intelligence; Autonomous Space Systems; International Space Law; State Responsibility; Lunar Security.