Space Piracy by Marc Feldman & Hugh Taylor

subtitled: Preparing For A Criminal Crisis In Orbit. And this subtitle is very important, as while the authors acknowledge that piracy in space is not a serious problem yet, it certainly has the potential to be so in the not too distant future.

With humanity’s increasing exploration of space beyond our atmosphere, it’s almost inevitable that crime will follow. And not just the usual crimes of passion one can expect, but crime for profit, including the types of piracy common terrestrially. This isn’t just the historical picture of scallywags boarding a ship and taking the booty for themselves but also includes the hijacking of satellites by drones or other means that don’t require a physical human presence in outer space. An Intelsat satellite was taken over by Sri Lankan Tamil separatists, for example, to broadcast their propaganda in 2007, leading to a small but significant international incident, with fascinating ramifications for international law going forward.

In that sense, space piracy is already happening, and Marc Feldman and Hugh Taylor use this book to explore not only the current state of affairs but the likely trajectory along which criminality will continue to develop. For grounding, they include an illuminating look at piracy through the ages, to give readers unfamiliar with the history a better idea of how surprisingly crucial it has been to the rise and fall of nations. Ofc, law enforcement has grown in step with the criminals it pursues, but the authors argue that following established maritime law, for example, as precedent for dealing with space crimes is still a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has already bolted. Better for us to be proactive about regulating lawful behavior and its inverse, and establishing jurisdiction — or, as its stated better in this book, first principles and onward — so we can be prepared for when the worst happens.

Space Piracy is written in a manner accessible to the generalist, making this an invaluable tome not only for people genuinely interested in the expansion of the legal field but also for science-fiction writers wanting to build complete future worlds. The tone does feel more neo-con than otherwise, with the strange naivete that often accompanies that worldview when it comes to how governments actually work: I bookmarked far too many places where the authors’ (hopefully unconscious) bias towards oligarchy was too obvious. Interestingly, the authors’ polite disdain for Elon Musk is hilarious given what’s happened since this book was written.

That said, the book’s thesis is sound, as are most of the suggestions, particularly the idea of establishing principles vs laws. I mean, we can’t even agree on internationally acceptable terrestrial laws, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get a start on the ones that apply to space. This book is a more than decent place to begin.

Space Piracy by Marc Feldman & Hugh Taylor was published February 11 2025 by Wiley and is available from all good booksellers, including