Space & Defence
Cybersecurity for space systems, ground infrastructure, and mission operations.
Space organisations face a distinct security reality: long-lived assets in space, limited patching opportunities, exposed communication links, complex supply chains, high availability expectations, and growing regulatory pressure. Cyvalent helps space operators, suppliers, and service providers turn these constraints into practical security architecture, compliance readiness, and measurable risk reduction.
Why Space Is Different
Space security is not generic enterprise security with satellites added. Space systems are highly complex, distributed systems across space and global terrestrial networks, where traditional security models fall short. The attack surface spans orbital assets, ground segments, and intricate supply chains. It requires protection across the full mission chain:
Ground Segment & Operations
Control rooms, ground stations, TT&C systems, payload data processing, cloud platforms, and operational networks.
Space-to-Ground Comms
Command integrity, telemetry protection, RF interference, spoofing, jamming, replay risk, and cryptographic key management.
Long Asset Lifecycles
Satellites and mission systems often operate for years with limited update windows, legacy components, and strict availability constraints.
Complex Supply Chain Dependency and Trust
Space missions rely on global supply chains for specialised hardware and software. Verifying the integrity of every component against advanced persistent threats is critical. Spacecraft, payloads, software, ground systems, cloud services, and subcontractors create a wide assurance surface.
Geopolitical Exposure
Space capabilities increasingly support government, defence, critical infrastructure, finance, communications, and crisis response. Commercial operators are becoming targets or collateral damage.
Evolving Compliance Frameworks and Evidence-Heavy Assurance
Customers, regulators, public-sector stakeholders, and prime contractors increasingly expect demonstrable security governance and control evidence.
Compliance & Assurance
Space organisations are entering a period of heavier, more specific security expectations. The proposed EU Space Act, NIS2, CER, CRA, ECSS, CCSDS security concepts, ISO 27001, ISO 22301, and customer or mission-specific assurance requirements all point in the same direction: resilience must be demonstrable, not only declared. The challenge is consistent implementation that is compatible with operational realities.
The proposed EU Space Act — currently in the EU legislative procedure — will introduce harmonised cybersecurity requirements for space operators. Preparing now avoids costly retrofits later.
These frameworks overlap, use different language, and often land across separate teams: engineering, mission operations, IT, legal, procurement, compliance, and executive management. For space companies, the difficulty is even higher because controls must fit long-lived assets, constrained update windows, specialised ground systems, supplier dependencies, and mission assurance requirements.
Cyvalent helps turn this complexity into an executable control and evidence model: map obligations to real systems, define practical controls, assign owners, collect evidence, prioritise gaps, and produce regulator, customer, and mission-assurance outputs without letting compliance replace security work.
Defence
Defence organisations and their suppliers operate under some of the strictest security expectations anywhere — national security frameworks, NATO-aligned requirements, classified-information handling and deep supply-chain scrutiny. Cyvalent supports defence contractors and their supply chains with security governance, supplier assurance and compliance readiness built for high-assurance environments, from national security requirements to customer-specific security clauses.
Frequently asked questions
What will the proposed EU Space Act mean for space operators?
The proposed EU Space Act — currently in the EU legislative procedure — is expected to introduce harmonised cybersecurity requirements for space operators. Preparing now, alongside NIS2 and existing mission-assurance frameworks, avoids costly retrofits later.
How is security different for space systems?
Long-lived assets that cannot be patched easily, exposed communication links, complex supply chains and high availability expectations change the engineering trade-offs: security must be designed in, and resilience must be demonstrable — not only declared.
Do defence supply chains face additional requirements?
Yes. Defence organisations and their suppliers face some of the strictest requirements anywhere — national security frameworks, NATO-aligned expectations, the handling of classified information and intense supply-chain scrutiny. Cyvalent supports defence suppliers with security governance, supplier assurance and compliance readiness.