GMV secures major contract for ESA’s CyberCUBE mission to bolster Space Cybersecurity

24/10/2024

GMV has been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the CyberCUBE mission, a key initiative under ESA's Cybersecurity Operations Centre (CSOC) Cyber Evolutions program. The GMV-led consortium, which includes GMV’s teams in Romania (prime contractor) and Spain, along with Alén Space, a pioneering company in New Space that joined GMV in 2023, will manage the end-to-end lifecycle of the CyberCUBE mission—from specification and design to procurement, assembly, verification, validation, and launch, and LEOP. This mission is a critical step in bolstering the cybersecurity of space-based assets, ensuring they remain resilient against emerging cyber threats in future operations.

The CyberCUBE mission will validate the CSOC’s radio frequency (RF) capabilities and provide a real-world demonstration of sophisticated data analysis tools designed to detect and counter potential cyber threats. In response to the growing need for stronger space cybersecurity, GMV will deliver a cutting-edging in-orbit operational laboratory equipped with innovative onboard cyber capabilities. This platform will support the development, testing, and refinement of cryptographic functions and key management strategies while gathering valuable security data from operational systems.

The CyberCUBE mission aims to offer ESA a cost-effective, reconfigurable cyber capability for demonstrating new technologies in orbit, minimizing risks, and accelerating the adoption of cybersecurity solutions for future ESA missions.

End-to-end responsibility

GMV brings a diverse portfolio of products and services to the table, providing ESA with a reliable infrastructure for both the flight and ground segments of the mission. The project will be led by GMV's Romanian subsidiary, with Alén Space acting as subcontractor and supported by GMV Spain’s expertise in flight software and ground control systems, and in cybersecurity.

GMV's responsibilities span the entire CyberCUBE mission lifecycle, from development to launch and operations. This includes delivering the flight segment, composed of a 3U cubesat bus provided by Alén Space, equipped with advanced reprogrammable processing capabilities and a core payload for cybersecurity monitoring. The platform will remain operational in orbit for at least one year, collecting essential data on space asset vulnerabilities and cyber resilience.

GMV will also provide components for the ground segment, including the Alén Space Mission Control Center integrated with GMV’s focussuite COTS product, and a representative flatsat. ESA’s CSOC will be the primary user segment, managing mission requests, ingesting raw data, and processing it for cybersecurity analysis.

In addition, GMV will oversee the launch segment, ensuring the cubesat is deployed into the designated orbit. The mission will target orbits that support regular communication with ESA’s primary antenna at the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) in Redu, Belgium.

Following successful commissioning, the LEOP, GMV will transfer control of the CyberCUBE satellite to ESA for nominal operations. The mission’s findings will guide future cybersecurity strategies, and potential extensions will be evaluated based on performance and resource availability. At the end of its operational life, the CyberCUBE satellite will be decommissioned in accordance with ESA’s Space Debris Mitigation Policy.

Mariella Graziano, GMV’s Director of Strategy and Business Development for Science, Exploration, and Transportation of Space Systems, said: “The CyberCUBE mission is a pivotal step in protecting the space assets, and GMV is proud to contribute its expertise and resources to this vital initiative. The knowledge gained from this mission will not only strengthen Europe’s space infrastructure but also help establish a secure and resilient framework for global space operations.”

Cristian Chitu, Director of Space of GMV Romania, said: “Leading the Cybercube mission for the European Space Agency marks an important milestone for GMV Romania's development strategy, as it represents the company's first priming role in a space mission. This comes in a domain and at a critical time, where and when cybersecurity is becoming  increasingly vital for tomorrow’s space operations. We thus extend our appreciation to the European Space Agency for entrusting us with this contract and to the Romanian Space Agency for their valuable support to our development, that made this opportunity possible”.

Massimo Panzeri, Cyber-Security and Space Program Accreditation Manager at ESA Security Office, declared: “We are extremely proud of the CyberCUBE project. It will allow us to validate new cybersecurity technologies in orbit, with the main objective to mature them for a later adoption into all ESA mission. This is a clear indication that the European Space Agency is extremely focused on the protection of its space missions, in the interest of its Member States.”

Daniel Crunțeanu, Director General of Romanian Space Agency, declared: “In the context in which, at the global level, cybersecurity has an increasingly important role in the success of space operations, we congratulate GMV Romania for leading ESA's Cybercube mission, this mission being part of ESA's Cyber Security Strategy, adopted by Romania represented by the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA).”