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At the heart of Paris’s Station F, the fifth edition of CYSAT reaffirmed a critical truth: space is now a frontline in the global cybersecurity arena. From ESA’s proposed €21 billion satellite defense constellation to cutting-edge threat simulations and startup breakthroughs, CYSAT 2025 spotlighted the urgency and complexity of securing space assets. Read the editorial material by THE SIGN to learn how Europe is tackling current threats and challenges through collaboration across agencies, startups, and nations.
PARIS – Station F, May 2025
This year marked the 5th edition of CYSAT, Europe’s premier cybersecurity event for the space sector, and once again, records were broken. With nearly 600 attendees and over 60 speakers, the conference brought together experts, agencies, startups, and industry leaders to tackle the evolving challenges of space cybersecurity.
During the conference, Mathieu Bailly reflected on what many consider the first act of satellite hacking — not driven by politics, but by frustration.
On April 27, 1986, John R. MacDougall, an electrical engineer and satellite dish retailer operating under the alias "Captain Midnight", jammed HBO’s satellite signal during a broadcast of The Falcon and the Snowman. His four-and-a-half-minute message protested the rising costs of HBO subscriptions for dish owners. The incident disrupted service for over half of HBO’s 14.6 million subscribers and became a foundational moment in the history of space-based cyber interference.
At the time, it was about consumer protest. Fast forward to now — satellite security is no longer about personal vendettas. It's about national sovereignty, geopolitical conflicts, and space becoming the next cyber battlefield.
THE SIGN.MEDIA was founded in 2023, building on an exploration of space cybersecurity that began in 2021, well before the Viasat hack (2022) brought global attention to the issue.
Back in one of the first editions of CYSAT, Olga Nasibullina helped to organize a keynote with the Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Potii, now Head of SSSCIP, commenting on the Viasat incident – this event remains a milestone for an entire industry, it awakened a global urgency of space cybersecurity threats.
This year, THE SIGN is honored to become CYSAT’s official media partner, continuing to document how the field is evolving in complexity and consequence. And we bring you an aftermath:
Josef Aschbacher – Director General, ESA (European Space Agency)
Stressed the original purpose behind satellite infrastructure: rapid, global information delivery during crises. With the upcoming Copernicus satellites and the launch of IRIS², ESA is prioritizing faster imaging, resilient infrastructure, and coordination with crisis centers.
ESA has new systems and technologies for a robust security posture and works with ESA Member States and with the EU for new services from space to enhance the resilient capability of Europe.
Also, Josef Aschbacher announced that ESA is proposing a record €21 billion budget to develop a dual-use Earth observation (EO) satellite constellation. This initiative aims to enhance Europe's strategic autonomy in space, particularly in response to the war in Ukraine and shifting U.S. policies.
The proposed constellation will provide high-resolution optical and infrared imagery globally every 20–30 minutes, serving both civilian and military applications. This capability is intended to reduce Europe's reliance on non-European space assets and bolster its defense infrastructure.
The budget plan, which includes this new EO constellation, will be discussed at the upcoming ESA ministerial meeting in Bremen this November. Germany, currently ESA's largest financial contributor, is expected to increase its funding to support these strategic developments.
Also, ESEC, the European Space Security and Education Centre is a cornerstone of ESA’s cybersecurity strategy. Far more than an operational site, ESEC is a protection ecosystem, a strategic hub for secure space operations and home to two critical components of our cyber defence architecture under the ESA Security Office. Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) is our frontline defence against live cyber threats targeting critical space assets while Space Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (SCCoE) is a lab for training, testing, and cooperating in space cybersecurity.
ESEC represents a Europe capable of mastering critical infrastructures, protecting them autonomously, and training the talent that will ensure their resilience. As ESA prepares for November's Council at Ministerial level, we will continue to strengthen cybersecurity and to propose measures to build resilience both in and from space.
Massimo Mercati – Head of Security Office, ESA, outlined ESA’s evolving cybersecurity strategy, including secure-by-design approaches, cross-agency collaboration, and support for the Cyber Resilience Act.
Since 2019, the ESA Security Office has developed a new Security Framework and, in collaboration with specialists from TEC (Technical Directorate), OPS (Operations Directorate), and HIF (Human and Robotic Exploration Directorate – Infrastructure Office), established a new Cyber Security Resilience capability to support security throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Rodrigo da Costa – Executive Director, EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme: “Security is not just a technical function - it is a matter of strategic autonomy."
Discussed operational security, requirements management, security risks and threat analysis for EU Space components, providing 24/7 monitoring operations to detect and respond to threats, supporting EU Member States in accessing the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) via their Competent PRS Authorities, operating the EU SST Frontdesk, preparing for #GOVSATCOM, and delivering services essential for security of Europe.
Nicolas Guillermin – European Commission
Provided a clear roadmap for IRIS² cybersecurity, highlighting collaboration with states and key stakeholders. Until 2033, it’s gonna be a very intense period of design and deployment of govsatcom services.
Luc Bentolila – Airbus: “Without space, there’s no superiority.”
Airbus emphasized space as a critical domain in modern warfare. Space supports land, sea, air, and cyber operations. Hybrid threats now blend commercial capacity with military assets. Airbus continues to drive innovation through zero-trust architectures, partnerships with startups, universities, and R&D labs, and leadership in sovereign defense infrastructure. It's a call of duty for key players.
The presence of Space ISAC Executive Director Erin Miller was a strong signal that transatlantic and international collaboration is growing. In a standout moment, she emphasized the power of structured threat intelligence exchange, pointing to the importance of a shared vocabulary and real-time reporting across nations.
“Our members can submit threat intel anytime, 24/7. The speed of response can mean everything,” Erin Miller said. She confirmed growing ties with EU Space ISAC, and spoke of new hubs opening in Australia, the UK, and Japan.
On day two, our own Tatiana joined a cyberattack simulation tabletop exercise by Space ISAC – a high-stakes scenario involving a command center breach and a crew rescue mission in orbit, compounded by geopolitical manipulation.
Working side-by-side with outstanding industry professionals:
Héloïse Do Nascimento Cardoso, CyberInflight: In her recent report CyberInflight Space Cybersecurity Monthly Watch she provided an extensive analysis of cybersecurity issues in the space domain.
César Carmona, NovaSpace: A 20-year satellite industry veteran, formerly head of Aerospace Security at Airbus, with deep expertise in secure-by-design missions.
Clémence Poirier, Center of Security Studies ETH Zurich: Senior researcher focusing on cyberdefense at one of Europe’s top security think tanks. Clémence presented at CYSAT a report dedicated to cyber operations targeting the space sector in the context of the Israel/Palestine conflict, analyzing the evolving threat landscape and examining the behaviors and tactics of threat actors, with an emphasis on hacktivist groups.
We also took a chance to meet present startups:
Those startups have already been recognized by the industry and space cysec community. Though there is an open question mark for regulators that remains on the agenda – how to integrate yet uncertified solutions into the defence sector, of which space cybersecurity is a part, and which cannot openly accept or experiment with unproven technologies. While speed in this field is key.
From the homemade protest signal in 1986 to today’s quantum-resilient, multinational cyber infrastructure, the space sector has entered a new era. Cybersecurity is a mission-critical foundation of every satellite, every network, and every strategic decision made on and above Earth.
As we move toward IRIS², secure constellations, and quantum-safe communications, collaboration across governments, academia, startups, and industry will define our resilience. And we saw it works.
Authors: Olga Nasibullina & Tatiana Skydan, co-founder at THE SIGN.MEDIA
Photo credit: Emmanuel Nguyen Ngoc
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