← T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
Europe’s push for reusable rockets.
00:27:07
The Exploration Company raises $160 million in Series B funding. Maxar confirms a data breach. Deloitte supports Space ISAC expansion in Australia. And more.
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- [00:02]
Maria Varmazas
You're listening to the N2K space network.
- [00:13]
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- [00:47]
Maria Varmazas
Gwynne Shotwell, the president and CEO of SpaceX, says she knows it'll be hard for other space companies to catch up to SpaceX, but they'll welcome the competition. The gauntlet was thrown a few years ago, admittedly, and certainly plenty of companies have come and gone taking wings at the name in private space. Enter one more competitor now, the exploration company aiming to bring reusable space access to Europe. Today is November 18, 2024. I'm Maria Varmasis and this is T Min. The Exploration Company raises $160 million in Series B funding. Maxar confirms a data breach Deloitte supports Space ISAC expansion in Australia and our guest today is space and cybersecurity academic Sharon Lamac Vincier. We're going to be talking about Sharon's new research papers on space and cybersecurity, so definitely stick around for that chat later in the It's Monday, let's get into it. We're kicking off with some news of a large raise in Europe for a company dubbed as the continent's answer to SpaceX. The exploration company, also known as TEC, has closed a $160 million Series B funding round. It is the largest space Series B round out of Europe so far anyway. The company plans to use the new capital to develop and Test Nix, the first European reusable space capsule, expand the 200 person team and scale their capacity. The exploration company's CEO, Helene Hubby says this significant raise is a reflection of not only the talent and commitment of the team at tec, but also that building global companies with European roots can only be done through fostering trust and cooperation between European countries. 98% of our shareholders are European, demonstrating that the continent can finance bold entrepreneurs. Space will play a critical role in shaping humanity's future and I want to contribute to building a future which is peaceful and cooperative and our European DNA fits perfectly with this mission. TEC is currently developing the second version of Nix, which it expects to launch next year, followed by a final version in 2028. This model will be partly financed by the European Space Agency. Satellite company Maxar has confirmed a data breach according to filings with state regulators, the Colorado headquartered company's breach involved the personal information of its employees. The notice filed with California's Attorney general last week said a hacker using a Hong Kong based IP address compromised Maxar's network on October 4 to access files containing employees personal data. It's not yet known if the alleged hacker is located in Hong Kong or just used a server in Hong Kong to hide their real location. Maxar said in the disclosure that it discovered the breach a week later on October 11 and took immediate action to prevent further unauthorized access to the system. According to the company's investigation, the hacker likely had access to the files on the system for approximately one week before this action was taken. Speaking of Cybersecurity Space isac, in collaboration with Deloitte, is expanding its capabilities with the launch of a brand new Watch center hub in Australia. The aim of the hub is to shield satellites from cyberattacks and the Watch center hubs will provide a global view of real time threat intelligence and additional cybersecurity safeguards. Space ISAC says the addition of the Australian hub marks a significant step in creating a more connected and resilient space ecosystem. The US Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it's forming a new rulemaking committee. FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Kevin Coleman says the FAA is seeking to update the licensing rule to foster more clarity, flexibility, efficiency and innovation. Making timely licensing determinations without compromising public safety is a top priority, the Faa says. The Part 450 rule was developed to streamline the regulations, reduce the number of times an operator come to the FAA for a license approval, and decrease the need for the FAA to process waivers, among other goals. The new committee the Launch and Reentry License Requirements Improvement Aerospace Rulemaking Committee. That's quite a mouthful. Also known as Part 450. SPARC will look to build on those improvements. Impulse Space has been selected by the National Reconnaissance Office, Office of Space Launch as a recipient of a Ballista contract. And Ballista, by the Way, which stands for Broad Agency Announcements for Agile Launch Innovation and Strategic Technology Advancement is a part of a strategic initiative to assess and evaluate advanced space technologies aimed at addressing technology needs of interest for the NRO. SpaceX launched a mysterious communications satellite over the weekend. A Falcon 9 carried the dedicated payload Optus X for the mission SpaceX. Dubbed TD7, the rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space center on Sunday, November 17th at 5:28pm local time and the next launch of Starship has moved to no earlier than tomorrow. Tuesday, November 19, SpaceX are aiming for a 30 minute launch window which opens up at 4pm local time in Boca Chica, Texas to launch the sixth test flight of their Starship Super Heavy rocket. Blue Origin has unveiled the six people flying on its upcoming NS28 mission and the crew includes Emily's Wonder Labs, Emily Calandrelli, Sharon Hagel, Mark Hagel, Austin Litterall, James Russell and Henry Wolfond. Sharon and Mark Hagel are both flying on New shepherd for the second time and the mission will be the ninth human flight for the New shepherd program. Blue Origin says it's targeting liftoff From Launch Site 1 in West Texas on Friday, November 22. Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, also known as Superco, has announced a new collaboration with China on a lunar miss mission. Suparkou will be joining China's Chang'e 8 mission, set to launch in 2028. Supark Ho's indigenous rover will be included in the mission to explore the lunar surface, conduct scientific research and test innovative technologies for future lunar and planetary exploration. And that concludes our briefing for today. Head on over to our Show Notes to find links to further reading on all the stories that we've mentioned. In there. You'll also find a story on China and Brazil strengthening their space cooperation, one on Rolls Royce's nuclear power ambitions for space, and a new appointment to Boeing's Board of Directors. Hi T minus Crew. If you would like daily updates from us directly in your LinkedIn feed, be sure to follow the official N2K T page over on LinkedIn. And if you're one of the many people who have recently joined Bluesky, well, we're on there too. We're at T BSky Social. And if you're more interested in the lighter side of what we do, here we are on Instagram and that's where we post videos and pictures from events, excursions, and even some behind the scenes treats. Links are in the Show Notes for you. Hope you'll join us on social media.
- [09:04]
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- [09:46]
Maria Varmazas
Our guest today is space and cybersecurity academic Sharon Lamac Vincier Sharon has been hard at work conducting research on the intersection of space and cyber and she shared with us what she's been working on.
- [10:03]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
I have produced three reports and one's already out. So that's the cybersafe gateway and that's looking at Scotland's space science cyber potential. So really what I wanted to do was Scotland builds more satellites than anywhere else in Europe and I wanted to see what opportunities there may be for cyber security because it makes complete sense to me that if we're building and manufacturing satellites, then we should really be thinking about the cyber secure by design built into that. But actually there was so much more potential that came out of that report in terms of Scotland's ability for cyber security in the commercial space. Think one of the nice things that I identified was that kind of historical heritage to build bake that in as well. So not just kind of thinking about the innovation and the commercialization, but actually how do we make sure that it is truly Scottish and what does that really mean? So that was interesting. So that report's available and then there's a UK wide one coming out hopefully next week and a final report on women leadership, female leadership at the intersection of space cyber.
- [11:19]
Maria Varmazas
So congratulations. First of all, that is a huge amount to get that done. My gosh. Okay, so let's tell me a bit more about. Well, I mean I want to hear about more about each of these, but let's start with the first one that you mentioned about building in security by design in satellites that are made in Scotland specifically. So was this sort of a. Taking a look at what's happening now, like what maybe processes are? What was that report looking at specifically?
- [11:45]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
Well, the UK more broadly is predominantly an SME market for space and we know that we've got a real issue in terms of how do we make sure the space sector is secure globally. So I was really just trying to find out what was the competitive advantage for Scotland given that they've got that historical kind of market position in terms of building the satellite and just trying to see is there a real opportunity for developing the software as well. And we know that SMEs don't have enough funding for cybersecurity. If it's a case of putting food on your table and bacon, or bacon and cybersecurity, you're going to put the food on your table, aren't you? Because that, that's, that's your kind of key issue to deal with that in that kind of day to day thing. So it was Trying to work out, is there a different way of thinking that we can help SMEs and see the value to build a more robust ecosystem for the space sector?
- [12:49]
Maria Varmazas
Hmm. I was also thinking SMEs in this case means not just subject matter experts, but also satellite manufacturers and engineers.
- [12:55]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
Is that what we're small, medium enterprises, so. Okay.
- [12:59]
Maria Varmazas
I just wanted to make sure I was understanding what we meant by SMEs in this case. All right. So security has a differentiator, but there are significant barriers because of cost, because it is usually seen as a cost center and not a, you know, a profit center. Understandably, that is a, that is a long standing problem with. I'm not, it's not cybersecurity's fault, but that is a longstanding struggle in cybersecurity. That is. Yes. So what recommendations, next steps, conclusions? What's the takeaway from that paper on that front?
- [13:28]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
Yeah, well, I think there's, if you don't mind a couple other points. In terms of language, languages was a real issue as well. Do you know, in terms of space and cyber, I think we've mentioned that before about speaking different technical languages and how you bring that together. I guess, I mean, like we just. Yes, exactly.
- [13:50]
Maria Varmazas
Yeah, there you go.
- [13:52]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
Just like we've done. And looking at the geopolitical landscape, looking at what different countries are doing and how they're approaching it. So the report also looks at different nations and looks at the laws and regulations and their technical kind of appetite. So to see what's going to happen and what the movements are and looking at the power that commercial actors actually wield within this kind of growing sector, the intersection of space and cyber. So in terms of the report, it suggests that Scotland should be really kind of maximizing that potential at the intersection because I don't see many nations actually capitalizing on the space cyber intersection. So there's work being done. But I was surprised, and even I'm not afraid to admit it, that this is my area, but even I was surprised that the entrepreneurial opportunities at the intersection, you know, there's. For those businesses so inclined to actually put their resources and time and effort here, I think they're going to make significant returns on their investment because this is a global problem.
- [15:06]
Maria Varmazas
Yeah. And so Scotland stands to benefit as a leader in that, it sounds like. Which it's. That's a pretty significant area to be a leader in right now, especially so.
- [15:14]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
Yeah. So in addition to my reports, I've also proposed a new conceptual framework to try and help businesses to Think about cyber. So back to that problem. That cyber is a tick box exercise. It happens annually. It's not very sexy and we've got multiple barriers. And yet cyber is super exciting. And it's so important that you kind of go, really? This is a really sexy area. But it's got a really bad image. Right. So it needs some help, some PR help. So when I was doing my research and writing my many reports, the same kind of issues kept on coming up. And that made me think of a strap line that I shared, Global milsat. And basically what I'm suggesting is that for the space sector, in terms of cybersecurity, we need entrepreneurs and leaders to think like spies. So that's a top line. So think like spies, look at the horizon, scanning, look in the gaps, look in the blind sides and start to think about what is the next type of threat factor that we're going to have to face in the, in the kina space domain and what kind of approaches can we do to develop products and services that help address that. So we need people in cyber to think like spies and we need them to build systems. So we need to build resilient systems for harsh environments and that unpredictability. So we need to build like astronauts. Because if we think about astronauts in space, they've not got all the tools and we just need to think about the Apollo 13 mission. Yeah. When they had to. Yeah. So they had to recover quickly and it was mission critical. So you need to think like a spy, you need to build like an astronaut, and then you need to innovate like an entrepreneur. So we need products to the market. So we need to start thinking about that entrepreneurial and that kind of disruption and innovation and really inject it. So I think if we think like that, it kind of makes it a wee bit more sexier. Yeah. Because we're space and we're entrepreneurs. Three of the most sexiest things that we could do. Yeah.
- [17:38]
Maria Varmazas
I'm like, that's some great messaging. I just have to say, I love that. Great top lines. Just my marketing reigns going, ooh, that's very nice. So that's directed mainly at like, the space industry because, you know, people who are building these incredible systems and spacecraft. I'm just curious, do you think the cybersecurity industry is ready to support the space industry in the way that the space industry needs? Like, do you, do we think that they understand the space industry's challenges or is it still just sort of of, again, that two different languages situation?
- [18:09]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
Yeah, you're shaking your head now. Yeah. I genuinely don't think cyber fully understands space. Right. However, as I've said by my reports, the pure entrepreneurial potential. Right. So if we're talking about follow the money. Right. Or money talks, if you're a cyber professional getting to understand space, you're guaranteed to make quite significant sums in my opinion. Right. Because the space sector is only going to grow. And in terms of, we think about even the dual nature in the military, the attacks in space are so significant and so important that if you were to be able to develop the products and services to help protect space assets from cyber attacks, you're only a winner in my opinion. Right. So if you follow the money, I think cyber professionals should be thinking about that. And then if we make it sexier and more engaging, so we say, well, we need people that are think like spies and build like astronauts and innovate like entrepreneurs and we make it that gateway that it becomes a really sexual, sexy intersection and it's got the kind of evidence base and the money behind it. It, to me it's a no. Why would you not want to be doing it?
- [19:44]
Maria Varmazas
We'll be right back.
- [19:51]
Sharon Lamac Vincier
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Maria Varmazas
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Sharon Lamac Vincier
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- [20:21]
Maria Varmazas
Welcome back. Today's cosmic revelation is brought to you by none other than the James Webb Space Telescope. And if you know me, then you know I'm a big Webb fan. JWST has made another potentially huge life changing discovery. You know, no big deal. This time, shaking up our understanding of the universe with a wild twist on gravity itself. Yeah. JWST has spotted clues that challenge the dominant dark matter theory that governs how galaxies form and behave. And the findings seem to lend support to a lesser known hypothesis called modified Newtonian Dynamics, or MOND. This alternate framework proposed back in 1998. Good year. Suggests that instead of invisible dark matter shaping galaxies, the laws of gravity themselves may actually operate differently at large scales. Wow. JWST's data showing unexpected galaxy behaviors line up suspiciously well with MOND predictions. Could it mean rewriting the cosmic rulebook? Perhaps. But as with all of these great space debates, the scientific community is cautious, saying more data is needed to confirm these tantalizing hints, of course. One thing is for sure. Whether it's bending gravity or breaking paradigms, JWST is showing us the cosmos in ways that we've never seen before or certainly expected. And that's what keeps space science as thrilling as a warp speed starship range ride. And that's it for T minus for November 18, 2024 brought to you by N2K CyberWire for additional resources from today's report, check out our show notes@spare.n2k.com we'd love to know what you think of this podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the insights that keep you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. If you like the show, please share a rating and short review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to spacen2k.com we're privileged that N2K CyberWire is part of the daily routine of the most influential leaders and operators in the public and private sector. From the Fortune 500 to many of the world's preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies, N2K makes it easy for companies to optimize your biggest investment your people. We make you smarter about your teams while making your teams smarter. Learn how@n2k.com this episode was produced by Alice Carruth. Our associate producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Iban. Our executive editor is Brandon Karpf. Simone Petrella is our president. President Peter Kilpy is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Varmazas. Thanks for listening. Have a great day. T minus.