CNET reports:
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, alluded to space pirates in opening remarks for a hearing on “The Emerging Space Environment: Operational, Technical, and Policy Challenges” before the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation and Space.
Cruz referenced how the ancient Greeks and subsequent nations have called on naval forces to “protect water-borne travel and commerce from bad actors.”
“Pirates threaten the open seas, and the same is possible in space,” Cruz said. “In this same way, I believe we, too, must now recognize the necessity of a Space Force to defend the nation and to protect space commerce and civil space exploration.”
Yahoo News reports:
Although armed Somali pirates terrorized the waters off the horn of Africa a decade ago, their activity has diminished in recent years thanks to a robust military response from several nations, including the United States.
Venezuela’s descent into political chaos is partly blamed for a rise in Caribbean piracy. Yet none of those threats possess the resources to — as yet — mount a credible threat beyond the confines of Earth’s atmosphere. Nor is there any interplanetary commerce to present a lucrative target for pirates.
“Notable fictional space pirates include Han Solo from Star Wars and Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy. Neither character poses a threat to the United States, because they are not real.” https://t.co/6B7AdnRNV4
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) May 15, 2019