The Spacecraft Hacker's Handbook

The Spacecraft Hacker's Handbook

A Practical Guide to Breaking Space Systems
by Andrzej Olchawa and Milenko Starcik
Fall 2026, 350 pp.
ISBN-13: 
9781718504745
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Satellites power our internet, GPS, weather forecasts, defense systems—and they’re all at risk.

The Spacecraft Hacker’s Handbook pulls back the curtain on modern space missions, showing how hackers target spacecraft and how you can stop them. Written by two of the field’s top offensive security experts, this hands-on guide blends real-world case studies with step-by-step labs.

Inside you’ll discover:

  • How space systems really work, from ground stations to satellites
  • How real-world attacks happen, including jamming, spoofing, malware, and advanced persistent threats
  • Hands-on space hacking—practice in a safe virtual lab environment with telemetry analysis, ground station testing, and spacecraft software exploits
  • Threat modeling for space—use frameworks like OWASP Threat Dragon and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to assess risks
  • Why space security is the next frontier of cybersecurity

Whether you’re a security professional, aerospace engineer, military personnel, or curious hacker, this is the ultimate field manual for protecting (and probing) the systems that keep our world—and beyond—running.

Author Bio 

Andrzej Olchawa is an offensive security researcher with 15+ years of experience in the space industry. He specializes in vulnerability research and exploit development for spacecraft and has presented at DEF CON, Black Hat, and multiple BSides events.

Milenko Starcik is Head of Cybersecurity at VisionSpace Technologies, leading initiatives to secure critical space infrastructure. With a Master’s in Electrical Engineering and deep expertise in telecommunications and cyber defense, he’s a frequent speaker at global space security conferences.

Table of contents 

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction

PART I: THE THREAT AWAKENS
Chapter 1: A Space Security Primer
Chapter 2: The Threat Landscape
Chapter 3: Security Testing

PART II: HOUSTON HAS A PROBLEM
Chapter 4: Ground Segment
Chapter 5: Hacking Ground Systems

PART III: SHOOTING STARS
Chapter 6: Space Segment
Chapter 7: Hacking Space Systems

PART IV: LIVING OFF THE USERLAND
Chapter 8: User Segment
Chapter 9: Hacking User Systems

PART V: APPENDICES
Appendix A: Space Missions
Appendix B: The Ecosystem
Appendix C: Space Systems
Appendix D: Testing Tools

Index

The chapters in red are included in this Early Access PDF.