5-minute read | 700 words
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Building a secure space internet.
Host Maria Varmazis and Filip Rezabek, co-founder and CTO of Space Computer, to look at the technologies being developed to create secure computing infrastructure in orbit. The two look at the current vulnerabilities that exist throughout space infrastructure, especially when considering supply chain attacks, and how new technologies can provide solutions to these major operational challenges.
Subscribe and listen to the conversation now.
Space’s trust problem.
This week on T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing: we look at how the current space infrastructure creates inherent security problems and how moving the root of trust into the hardware itself. By changing this approach and by preparing for the next generations of new technologies, the space sector will be able to better secure itself for years to come.
Does this newsletter spark questions for you? Write to us at space@n2k.com to guide how we’ll continue to explore the expanding space infrastructure in future podcast episodes and newsletter issues.
The root of trust.
Despite the space sector seeing greater investment, innovation, and interest, its infrastructure still relies heavily on isolated systems, with hardware and software that are often not designed to interoperate. While this model has been serviceable for decades, newer technologies are beginning to challenge it.
Larger constellations, shared infrastructure, and interconnected orbital networks are becoming increasingly prominent and will likely form the backbone of a future space-based internet. This shift is creating new opportunities for computing, communications, and data sharing. However, it is also creating a fundamental cybersecurity challenge:
How do you establish trust when multiple parties are sharing the same infrastructure?
As space technologies have evolved and introduced new risks, governments and major organizations are now starting to take increased notice. Organizations, including national security agencies, NASA, the EU’s Agency for Cybersecurity, have begun publishing guidance on these risks. The documents cover areas ranging from risk assessment and supply chain management to communications and ground infrastructure.
Importantly, NASA’s “Space Security: Best Practices Guide” cautions against assuming that existing infrastructure is inherently trustworthy and that boundary protection, monitoring, and response capabilities are critical.
The importance of hardware.
Establishing these boundaries becomes particularly challenging when multiple organizations are operating on the same physical infrastructure. Traditional software-based security measures can provide layers of isolation, but they still require users to trust the underlying software stacks. Further, if that software is compromised, such as in a supply chain attack, the assurances provided by those boundaries can become difficult to verify.
However, hardware can provide a stronger foundation for establishing trust. Historically, much of the focus on spacecraft hardware has been on ensuring that it can survive the harsh conditions of launch and orbit. Once deployed, that hardware is difficult to or impossible to physically access, making the security decisions embedded within it particularly consequential.
Yet, that same physical isolation can be turned into a security advantage. By treating hardware as a root of trust, rather than as a foundation for spacecraft, designers can use it to anchor device identity, protect cryptographic keys, verify software integrity, and establish whether a system is operating in an expected state.
As space infrastructure continues to become interconnected, the industry will need to rethink how it establishes trust. Key stakeholders and agencies have already identified that prioritizing trust in hardware, software, users, and the data moving between them will be critical in the coming years.
By embedding security capabilities into the systems, designers can establish stronger assurances about these systems once in orbit and for years to come. As space moves from isolated systems towards a more interconnected ecosystem, establishing that trust will be just as important as the connections themselves.
This week’s space-cyber headlines.
The news stories we’re reading and thinking about this week.
Ukraine says it hit Russian rocket centre linked to Starlink-style network.
- Ukraine successfully launched an attack against a Russian airfield and rocket center, which supported the Russian’s LEO satellite communications system.
- Listen to Maria’s coverage of the story on the CyberWire Daily.
August 15, 2026 | Source: CNBC
