[Satellite TODAY Insider 11-22-11] An independent congressional advisory panel advised the Pentagon to diversify its traditionally space-oriented capabilities in order to prevent a cyber attack from China and prepare for situations where U.S. space satellites are partially or completely destroyed.

   In a report published Nov. 16, the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission produced the latest findings and a new assessment concerning “malicious cyber activities” that hit two U.S. government satellites between 2007 and 2008.

   NASA confirmed in an early draft of the report that hackers interfered with the U.S. Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1 Earth observation systems on four separate occasions between 2007 and 2008 and that the satellites were targeted through a ground station in Norway. “Hackers interfered with a Terra AM-1 Earth observation satellite twice, for two minutes in June 2008 and nine minutes in October that year,” the draft says, citing a closed-door U.S. Air Force briefing.

   The agency added, however, that the incidents produced no manipulation or capturing of data and that no commands were successfully sent to the satellite. NASA reported the matter to the U.S. Department of Defense. In an Oct. 27 statement to the Washington Post, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano admitted that hackers have “come close several times to shutting down elements of the nation’s infrastructure … Wall Street firms and transportation systems are frequent cyber attack targets.”

   The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission was created more than 10 years ago to monitor, investigate and submit an annual report to Congress on the national security implications of bilateral trade and economic relationships between the United States and China. The final draft of the latest report showed that while China is focusing on the militarization of space assets, the country also reaps economy benefits from its national space program partnership with numerous firms in the private sector.

   “A major goal of China’s space program is to use space technologies to secure natural resources on Earth for its rapidly growing economy,” the report said. “A notable co-development project is the China-Brazil Earth resources satellite series, which include imagery capabilities sufficient for certain military applications. China has also secured space-related components or systems from Russia, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.”

   The report’s overall recommendation to the Pentagon, however, highlighted the need for, “American readiness and a show of force deterrence in the face of the rising Chinese military space complex,” the committee wrote.