Space is where we have the opportunity to invent life-saving drugs, track natural disasters and national security threats, and connect the globe. But as we rely more on these assets, the threats from orbital debris and cyberattacks are mounting.
The problem? You can’t just walk up to a satellite, unplug it, and plug it back in.
Major General Kim Crider (ret.), Founding Partner at Elara Nova, former Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, U.S. Space Force and former Chief Data Officer, U.S. Air Force, joins us to explain why a cyber incident in orbit isn’t just an annoyance, it’s a potential kinetic disaster. She explains why Zero Trust principles must be built into systems, and why the most dangerous “backdoor” to spacecraft often sits right here on Earth.
Key takeaways:
The stakes are physical. If a cyberattack alters a trajectory, a satellite or spacecraft risks colliding with other critical assets or debris.
The “front door” is on the ground. While we worry about the asset in orbit, the easiest way to hack a satellite is often through the ground environment. Uplinks and downlinks (the invisible tethers controlling the system) are prime targets for spoofing and interception.
Zero Trust must launch with the rocket. You cannot easily patch a system once it leaves the atmosphere. Security principles like Zero Trust and rollback capabilities must be designed, tested, and baked in before launch day.
Digital airlocks. With complex supply chains, you can’t guarantee every component is secure or fail-safe. Systems must be designed to isolate compromised functions so a single failure doesn’t jeopardize the entire mission.
Know your bill of materials. Whether it’s a satellite or a UAV, supply chain opacity is a major risk. Rigorous verification, provenance tracking, and inspections of software and hardware are essential to keeping bad actors out of mission-critical systems.
Space is the next laboratory. Beyond surveillance, the vacuum and zero-gravity conditions of space offer a unique environment for manufacturing and scientific breakthroughs, such as inventing new, life-saving pharmaceuticals that aren’t possible to create on Earth.
About Major General Kim Crider (ret.)
Major General Kim Crider is a Founding Partner at Elara Nova, a space consulting firm helping the government and industry navigate the space market. She previously served as the Chief Technology Innovation Officer for the United States Space Force and the Chief Data Officer for the United States Air Force. With 35 years of service, including eight years in active duty, she is a leading authority on data, space, and air defense.
