The Space Development Agency has contracted SpiderOak to research the integration of its software with a US Space Force ground-based satellite command and control system.
The Virginia-based company will deploy its OrbitSecure software to enhance the cybersecurity of the Rapid Resilient Command and Control effort, a software-based ground control system for military satellites.
OrbitSecure features an end-to-end zero-trust design and leverages “patented variable-trust mechanisms that allow data to travel securely on networks and infrastructure with different owners and variable-security protocols,” the space cybersecurity software provider explained.
Purpose-Built for Orbital Missions
According to the company, the software is purpose-built for orbital operations, featuring limited size, weight, power, and connectivity constraints.
OrbitSecure has been deployed on satellites before, including on a Ball Aerospace prototype payload in June 2023 and on the International Space Station in July 2023.
“By employing OrbitSecure’s patented variable-trust mechanisms that allow data to travel securely on networks and infrastructure with different owners and variable-security protocols, the project will provide insight into how to attain more resilient command and control,” the company wrote.
