{"id":49156,"date":"2025-05-16T19:26:22","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T11:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/esa-director-general-signals-a-bold-new-approach-to-european-space-cybersecurity\/"},"modified":"2025-05-16T19:26:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T11:26:22","slug":"esa-director-general-signals-a-bold-new-approach-to-european-space-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/esa-director-general-signals-a-bold-new-approach-to-european-space-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA Director General Signals a Bold New Approach to European Space Cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

PARIS \u2014<\/em>  There is a newfound urgency toward space cybersecurity in Europe. Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency<\/strong> (ESA), keynoted CySat 2025 in Paris, underlying a new approach toward securing space infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Aschbacher spoke on May 14 about how defense and space are now integrated much tighter than before and that \u201chistory is accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpace is no longer just a frontier of science. It is a fully-fledged domain. The threat is silent and asymmetric. Cybersecurity and space can no longer be separated. It now needs a coordinated response. Our mission is to not only to explore space but to secure it,\u201d Aschbacher said.<\/p>\n

[This feature was published exclusively for Space Security Sentinel, a new cyber newsletter from the teams at Via Satellite and CyberSat. Learn more and subscribe here]<\/em><\/p>\n

It was interesting to hear ESA\u2019s top official talk in a completely different way about space. He said while space technologies bring a number of benefits to societies, they also bring vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery satellite entry point could be a weak point. Satellite jamming, spoofing, cyber attacks against satellites and ground infrastructure are valid threats,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have the power to destabilize economies and to manipulate public opinion. The attackers operate from the shadows. Space is emerging as a hybrid theatre. It is no longer just about securing access of space, but securing space operations themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aschbacher added that such is the threat now that is calls for \u201cprofound thinking\u201d toward space security. He said that cyber space and physical space can no longer be treated in isolation.<\/p>\n

However, the space domain is one of the most complex environments to secure. He spoke of the hybrid nature of space, as it merges software, hardware, ground, and orbital assets. He added, \u201c[Space] is distributed. It is remote. It is persistent. You cannot patch is easily. This creates unprecedented challenges. Each link of the supply chain can become a breach. Cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought. It has to be done by design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s New Intelligence and Surveillance Program <\/strong><\/h3>\n

It feels as though Europe has reached a kind of inflection point, and organizations like ESA have to be doing more. The geopolitics were an undercurrent throughout CySat. Aschbacher spoke of an \u201chistoric responsibility\u201d and that Europe can no longer \u201cafford trial and error\u201d here. He spoke of ESA embedding cybersecurity into every new mission, and integrating it from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

Central to this new approach will be a new intelligence and surveillance program \u2013 European Resilience from Space (ERS). Aschbacher and ESA will be preparing a proposal for the ESA Ministerial Conference in November regarding ERS.<\/p>\n

In terms of ERS, Aschbacher said ERS is \u201ca work in progress.\u201d ESA is discussing ERS with various stakeholders. It is at the heart of a new space cybersecurity strategy for Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not adapting to crisis. We are preparing for crisis. We are preparing for deterioration. We have identified threats. We have outlined ambitious perspectives. Space cybersecurity is a challenge of governance. It is about speaking the same language, building a shared culture. We must build a Europe of operational trust. We have everything we need to succeed. We need consistency, courage,\u201d noted Aschbacher.<\/p>\n

An Industry in Transformation <\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the interesting new speakers at CySat this year was Andrew Newson, vice president of IT & Security, CIO\/CISO, Iceye<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Newson spoke of a space industry that is \u201crapidly transforming.\u201d He said that the space industry now offers capabilities that are key for national defense and security. He said it is crucial that the industry adapt to strengthen its security measures.<\/p>\n

In terms of where the threats are to satellite players such as Iceye, Newson highlighted that the biggest concerns relate to nation state actors (APTs), due to the fact they are patient and well-funded. Interestingly, while this threat is particularly well-known, Newson said more emphasis needs to be placed on insider threats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t talk so much about insider threats. The changing geopolitical landscape can cause people to be paid, coerced,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Iceye, we have a lot of people that are new to the industry. So, we need to build that culture. Protection of our people is often overlooked. If I was attacking a space company, I would go after people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Newson bought up the example of Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger who according to news reports late last year, was the target of an assassination attempt by the Russian government. Rheinmetall is a German arms manufacturer. Newson bought this example to highlight that senior leaders working in the defense, and in theory, the satellite industry could face this type of threat.<\/p>\n

In terms of supply chain and vendor reputation management, Newson spoke of having the right systems in place. \u201cQuite often, we will see vendor breaches. IT infrastructure and ground segment are an easier attack vector,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also spoke to the importance of being prepared for the quantum era. He added, \u201cNot having a cryptography strategy is not acceptable, particularly when supplying services to government and defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starlink for Italy? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

CySat polled attendees on whether or not the Italian government should use Starlink<\/strong>. This is in light of talks regarding the Italian government regarding using Starlink for secure communications.<\/p>\n

The response was interesting \u2014 only 11% said yes that the government should use Starlink. Close to 70% of the audience polled thought the Italian government should use European solutions like OneWeb<\/strong>, rather than Starlink. Another 20% said the Italian government should wait for the IRIS\u00b2 constellation to be operational.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PARIS \u2014  There is a newfound urgency toward space cybersecurity in Europe. Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), keynoted CySat 2025 in Paris, underlying a new approach toward securing space infrastructure. Aschbacher spoke on May 14 about how defense and space are now integrated much tighter than before and that \u201chistory […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49156"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}