← T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing
Satellite-enabled Rebelle Rally with Iridium.
00:23:15
The Rebelle Rally is an off-grid event made possible by satellite-powered tracking, comms, and emergency response. We find out more from Suzi McBride.
Loading summary
Transcript35 lines
- [00:02]
A
You're listening to the N2K space network. Step into the digital Upside down with Cyber Things Armis new three part podcast series which will dive into the unseen world of cyber security. From real life hacks to the digital shadows of the dark web, we connect pop culture and protection, fear and control. Episode one drops soon, so look out for Cyber Things in partnership with Cyberwire.
- [00:36]
B
Ever wished you could rebuild your network from scratch to make it more secure, scalable and simple? Meet Meter, the company reimagining enterprise networking from the ground up. Meter builds full stack zero trust networks including hardware, firmware and software, all designed to work seamlessly together. The result? Fast, reliable and secure connectivity without the constant patching, vendor juggling or hidden costs. From wired and wireless to routing, switching, firewalls, DNS security and vpn, every layer is integrated and continuously protected in one unified platform. And since it's delivered as one predictable monthly service, you skip the heavy capital costs and endless upgrade cycles. Meter even buys back your old infrastructure to make switching effortless, transform complexity into simplicity, and give your team time to focus on what really matters, helping your business and customers thrive. Learn more and book your demo@meter.com cyberwire that's M E T E R.com cyberwire.
- [01:54]
C
I want you to imagine with me for a moment an eight day 2,500 kilometer navigation challenge across the Nevada and California deserts. With no GPS and no cell phones, competitors rely solely on analog tools like compasses, maps and road books, all to find hidden checkpoints and to navigate the unforgiving terrain. And behind the scenes of all of this, there is a modern logistics marvel made possible by satellite powered tracking, scoring, communications and emergency response. All delivered of course via space. To find out more, let's dive in to the Rebelle ral. I'm Maria Varmazes and this is T minus Deep Space. My guest today has not only participated in the Rebelle rally, she is also part of a team that enables the event. Let's find out more.
- [03:13]
A
Susie McBride I'm the chief Operating Officer here at Iridium and Iridium is a telecommunications system that happens to use satellites for our network. You know, we're very proud of what we built over the last 25 plus years. We started back in the 90s and I was actually part of the original building of the Iridium network when I was at Motorola. And you know, back then it was designed to be basically a business person's phone to use while they're roaming and traveling around the world. It has completely innovated and changed from that original Concept, the technology was fantastic, but the business case back in the 90s didn't materialize as you know, Motorola originally hoped. And so, you know, we continue to innovate and we do a lot of like Internet of things connections, personal communications, maritime and aviation safety. So anything that needs to be connected that's important around the global world because we're a fully global network is what we do. And for me particular my job is around all the technology, both you know, the R and D we do developing our products and our services and then running the 247 operations.
- [04:18]
C
That's amazing. Well, thank you, Suzy. It's great to meet you. And I'm so amped for our chat today because this is not sort of my usual interview where I usually talk to people just about, you know, the products that they're building or some cool development. This is a sort of a dual use interview where you are both working on this incredible suite of products, but also you have used them in the field. So this is, this is a really. I don't often get to have this kind of chat. So without further ado, tell me about the Rebelle Rally. I want to tease this a little bit before we get into why we're talking about this, but can you tell me what the Rebel Rally is first and then we'll get into the why we're talking about this.
- [05:00]
A
Yeah. So the Rebel Rally is the longest US based road rally that is a competition on navigation. So it's not a speed race. It really is a very precision long road rally that is off road on like they got a 4x4 and x cross crossover type class. And Emily Miller who designed it, she wanted to make a very challenging, the longest one in the United States. It's over like 2,500km and it's an eight day competition and it just happens to be for women. So it's a driver and a navigator make a team and they go out for eight days completely off the grid and it's all done by maps and navigations. I can go into all kinds of stories about it, but it's a. I've done it now. I just finished my fourth event. I've done it three years ago was my last time, took a three year break and then just did this 2025 competition which was the 10 year anniversary of this event. It's extremely challenging. It is exhilarating, powerful, but it's very tough and it really challenges you in so many different ways and aspects.
- [06:07]
C
Yeah. And where does it take place? Cause it looked phenomenally Difficult. When I was looking at the pictures of it, I said, why? Where is this?
- [06:14]
A
You never know until you get out there. That's kind of the challenge. It's. I mean, you kind of know where the start is and the end and that's it. And every day is different. And you don't. You get your kind of coordinates for the day in the morning to have to plot it. So you kind of don't know. It's kind of a surprise. And it evolves as the days go on. But it usually starts in usually California, Nevada. Like this year, we started in Mammoth, California and kind of goes through parts of Nevada and California and it usually ends kind of more in Southern California. We usually end up in sand dunes. We do a lot of dirt roads and navigate across the desert landscaping. It's beautiful.
- [06:47]
C
Oh, wow. I was gonna say, I can imagine. That's gotta be extraordinarily beautiful. Challenging, but beautiful. Yeah. Wow. So the reason that I asked you about the Rebelle rally is you mentioned you've been a participant many times, is that there's also a role that Iridium plays here. And I wanted you to walk me through that as well, if you don't mind.
- [07:04]
A
Yeah, yeah. Well, it was actually back in 2019 in our director of communications, you know, called me and said, hey, there's this all female rally out in the middle of the desert. They want us to come out as a vip. Would you go? I'm like, sure. I live in Arizona as my base, so, you know, going out to Glamis Sand Dunes was only a three hour drive. And so I show up, you know, I think it was the Friday when they were all coming in, finalizing the end of the rally, coming into the finish line. And the reason they asked us is because Emily Miller, when she designed this rally, she chose Iridium to be her safety component. And as they are in the middle of the desert in very remote locations, she wanted to make sure that safety was number one concern for her. With all these competitors, there's usually 100 to 150 competitors plus about 100 staff as well. So she wanted to make sure they always had communication. She wanted to make sure that there was tracking of all the, the participants, the safety crews, the teammates. And she also used it for scoring. And so when I went out there and seeing how they were using Iridium in such a unique way, it was such a great playground for what we are all about, which is safety services, about personal communications. And I met these women doing the Rebelle that year, which were all Just powerful, smart women, mostly in stem, a lot of STEM places, which I have a personal passion for that. I called one of my friends up and I said, would you do it with me in 2020? And so we signed up and I thought it was a phenomenal way for me also to really truly experience how our products are being used in a kind of a day to day activity. So it was just a great opportunity and a great challenge.
- [08:50]
C
I would love to hear about your experiences and I would just want to start with how do you train for something like this? Because I was perusing the website a little bit because I mentioned before we started recording, I admit ignorance, I hadn't heard of the rebel rally. So I was trying to learn a little bit about it and I'm going, how do you train? How do you prepare? I mean this is just an incredible challenge.
- [09:10]
B
It is.
- [09:10]
A
And I was not an off roader. I still, I don't consider myself an off roader. I say I'm a rebel off roader because I do it for the Rebelle. But it was, I had actually had a Jeep at the time. I had never really taken it off road. And so this really pushed me to kind of learn more about my own vehicle that sat in my driveway. And something else the Rebel and Emily really preach is that a lot of these cars are capable of a lot more than people use them for. And so I, you know, went to. They've got training for the Rebel U they call it. They do training on how to navigate and some of the driving. I went out some of the past rebels who just the community of the rebel women are just powerful and strong. They came in and they helped train. But you know, you start with how do you plot? How do you put. Take a coordinate a lat long and how do you actually put it on a map? And then how do you find that on the map once you're actually in the real world doing it? And then did some, you know, some training with a few of the experts too on how do you use all the pieces of your car. I learned things that I never knew were like what lockers were and my sway bar and things that all sounded very foreign to me when I started. And you just kind of, you know, take it one step at a time. It was a challenge and scary. But after doing it, it kind of feels powerful that I've changed a tire now I never knew how to do before. So it really pulled pushes push me out of my comfort zone. Yeah. And kind of to your limits that you never knew. I mean, there's days on the bed is hard and there are days that are tough and challenging and you know, you're exhausted and tired and sometimes it's hot out there and you get stuck in the sand and all you want to do is get back and you're like, I've got nothing left in me. But you're, you know, what are you going to do? You have to get out. You have to figure out how to get out of the situation. And so that's what it's all kind of about, is kind of pushing into those areas and, and realizing you can do it. You really can.
- [11:07]
C
We'll be right back.
- [11:12]
B
At Talas, they know cyber security can be tough and you can't protect everything. But with Talas, you can secure what matters most. With Thales industry leading platforms, you can protect critical applications, data and identities anywhere and at scale with the highest roi. That's why the most trusted brands and largest banks, retailers and healthcare companies in the world rely on Thales to protect what matters most, applications, data and identity. That's Thales. T H A L E S learn more@talasgroup.com cyber and now a word from our sponsor, ThreatLocker. The powerful Zero Trust Enterprise solution that stops ransomware in its tracks. Allowlisting is a deny by default software that makes application control simple and fast. Ring Fencing is an application containment strategy ensuring apps can only access the files, registry keys, network resources and other applications they truly need to function. Shut out cybercriminals with world class endpoint protection from Threat Locker.
- [12:40]
C
Yeah, relying on your ingenuity and your perseverance and your grit to get you through that. That, that sounds like a really transformative experience, I've got to say. That's, that's got to be incredibly powerful.
- [12:50]
A
Yeah, it is. And a lot of people do come back and sometimes it's reset courses of people's lives. But more importantly, I think it just, it really roots you in kind of what's important. And for somebody who works in communications, it's ironic for me to say this, but it is amazing to be off the grid completely and focus in on one thing for that week. It's really just your entire world becomes just that focus on what you do. And every night when you come home to the base camps, wherever they are, it's all about the community coming together, having dinner together and talking about your day, going to bed and getting up the next morning and doing again. So I really do think it's a phenomenal experience for anybody. Just be Able to focus in that clearly on one thing and just let the rest of the world go for a week. Yeah.
- [13:38]
C
Yeah. The few times I've been in a situation where I've been off grid, I felt oddly, both kind of comforted to be disconnected, but very vulnerable. Also, I didn't realize how dependent I'd become on that sense of connectivity. And I imagine it. And I don't want to put words in your mouth. I mean, that's just how I felt about it. But I would imagine being in a situation where, you know, you're in an extreme environment, you are off grid, it gives you a great appreciation for many people who are in similar situations who use, I would guess, Iridium products too.
- [14:13]
A
Absolutely. And that's. I mean, I was going to say that that's one thing that makes it more comforting is because we know we're never truly off grid. You know, we know I would not feel as comfortable at all just doing it alone without having the connectivity we do have. I know we're being tracked. We know that if we got into any situation. So we carry a. Carry an Iridium phone. Every competitor has one. So if anything happens where they really get into a situation, they have a phone to call anytime. They can call dispatch, they can call emergencies. We have, you know, the Iridium scoring. There's a tracker from our partner, Yellow Brick, that does YB tracking, tracks us and we actually push that to score, which gives us our. We also can give you a coordinate. So if you ever feel lost, you can also push that, get your coordinates and figure out where you are. So it's a little bit false to say completely off the grid because we are directly with Iridium, which is super important. But. Yeah, but it gives you that sense of security that then you can go and do this and then really focus in. So I'm like, you know, it's scary at first to go on off the grid and like disconnect from family and work and everything else that you have in your life, but it's also really empowering to just realize how important it is to connect with people again and just be in that moment.
- [15:22]
C
Yeah. I'm wondering, I probably should have asked this earlier, but could you give me a sense of what an average day during the Revelle rally is like, if such a day could be said as average? What is that like?
- [15:32]
A
Yeah. No. So most mornings you get up anywhere between 4 and 5am and at 5am is when they. Or 5, 10, actually, but is when they open the base camp tent. And that's when you get start getting your coordinate points for the day. I'm a driver, so I mainly drive. Heidi, who is my partner who's done this last couple years, she will take those points and she plots them all in the morning. I'm getting breakfast, I'm packing our. If we're moving, I'm packing our bags up and getting the car ready. I also do some enduro. There's math you have to do to kind of figure out your timing. And then that starts to start line is about 7am and at that point they different orders. You know, we head out for the day and we're basically chasing points all day long for about 10 hours a day. And it's go, go, go. The days go by super fast and you have three different kinds of checkpoints. There's green, which is really easy, kind of like skiing, you know, Green flags, easier to find. And there's people there for safety. There's blues which are smaller flags or little poles, but you can kind of find them if you know where they are. And then there's blacks which have nothing. So you know, it could be right here or right over there, you don't know because there's nothing to identify it. And so you have to really just say I think it's here and push the button and click. And then the radium system is used to do geofencing around those points to see if you're right or wrong and score you on a black one. There's different like 25 meter rings and depending on the map we're on, if we're like on a 200,000 scale map, then you know, you're a little pencil mark. A 0.5 pencil is 50 meters. So like you know, you're trying to get within 25 meters to get the most points. So it's very much precision about how accurate you are at your plotting and getting there. But for 10 days, for 10 hours, we are basically out in the desert or different parts, mountains, wherever we are chasing these points and watching our time because there's a lot of time limits you have to do. And then we usually come back into camp, you know, 5ish in the evening. And if you make it back on time, we missed one base camp. We were late, so. And then there's a phenomenal dinner. She actually has a Michelin chef that has been doing this for 10 years. Phenomenal through Deckman who comes in and we usually have a wonderful meal. And that's when all critters come back in. You know, Emily usually Talks to us in the evening sometimes if there's topics, and then go to bed and do it all again the next morning.
- [17:55]
C
That sounds incredible. Honestly, I've never known about an event like this before, so hearing about it is just blowing my mind. How challenging but unique this really sounds. I'm just. It sounds really cool. No wonder my team was so excited about us getting talk they knew, I.
- [18:15]
A
Mean, of the women out there that come from all different parts. I mean, there's certainly people who are more in the industry and understand four wheeling and off roading, but so many of us don't, which is kind of fun too, just to get to meet all these different women from all different types of backgrounds. Whether there's GMs from Las Vegas hotels, there is construction, there's lawyers. I mean there's just all kinds of interesting people and backgrounds as part of the Rebelle, which also makes the connections of your friendships to grow in a unique way as well.
- [18:47]
C
That's awesome. Yeah, I could see it appealing to people who are really into pathfinding and off roading. And it is a really interesting intersection of all these different things. That sounds really, really fascinating. I'd love to hear your reflections to bring it back to sort of the Iridium and the technology side of things. Just to get some reflections on, you know, this, this fascinating intersection of, you know, making sure that safety through satellite technology when terrestrial networks are not available or scarce and you know, being in a situation where you are dependent on that for your safety and just, just reflections on that. Let's just go over with that for now.
- [19:25]
A
Yeah, I mean, that's again why I did it and why we now actually have sponsored several Iridium teams where we actually, some of our employees come together and put a team together because I think it's important for them to also get out there and really immerse themselves in a world where Iridium is critical to being able to even do this event in the first place. For Emily to go get all those permits to do this, I mean, she's got to work a lot with the Bureau of Land Management and other areas to permit this type of event given the criticality and the numbers of people that are involved in it, it's because of Iridium, both in that there's other systems out there. But she chose Iridium because she knew it was very reliable. She knew that she could build an entire event around us. Again, it's not her event, but around our technology because it was reliable, because she knew it would be there. We also provide Multiple products which are good. We got the phone, we got the trackers, and then we also have. Push to Talk is another key enabler and differentiator of what we provide, which is for the safety teams and the support teams are working. They can do a very large net, basically, you know, a push to talk network that could span hundreds of kilometers for us. It could be in the world. I mean you can be anywhere in the world and have your own net. And so that's the part, I think that made us very unique to contribute to having all the components needed to, you know, from one network to support all these different angles of what you need to have an event such as the Rebelle Rally.
- [20:53]
C
That's amazing. And I want to make sure I give you wrap up thought time. Anything you want to leave our audience with. It is open forum. Anything you'd like to add?
- [21:01]
A
Yeah, I mean, I'm glad you're interested in it. I think it's a great showcase of such a great event as well as with iridium. And I encourage anybody who's even considering it if it sparks an interest. Get out there, learn more. I would go look, there's a rebellion. They got Rebellion U where you can go and do your own training to see if you like it. Don't be afraid of it because like I said, I'm not an off roader. I don't claim to be, I don't think I ever will be. But it is such an empowering event and I love that it just showcases what satellite technologies can do and especially what iridium is all about.
- [21:36]
C
That's wonderful, Suzy. Thank you so much for telling me your story. This has been a delight. I've learned so much from you today and now I know I will be keeping an eye out on every year the Rebel rally, seeing how people do, because this is.
- [21:46]
A
I'm fascinated. This is so neat. You should experience it. Maybe. Maybe we'll see end next year and come see it. It's amazing watching Emerald come in into the finish line, I bet.
- [21:59]
C
And you had me at Michelin Star Chef, so that was.
- [22:02]
A
I know, it's amazing.
- [22:03]
C
It's like, wow. Well, seriously, thank you so much for sharing your story. I really appreciate it.
- [22:08]
A
Well, thank you, Mary. Appreciate it.
- [22:19]
C
That's T minus Deep Space brought to you by N2K CyberWire. We'd love to know what you think of our podcast. Your feedback ensures that we deliver the insights that keep you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. If you like our show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app, or you can send an email to space2k.com we're proud that N2K CyberWire is part of the daily routine of the most important, 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 helps space and cybersecurity professionals grow, learn, and stay informed. As the nexus for discovery and connection, we bring you the people, the technology, and the ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how at N2K. N2K's Senior Producer is Alice Carouse. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Peter Kilby is our publisher and I am your T minus host, Maria Varmazes. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time.
- [23:36]
B
Sa.