Cybersecurity has been gaining interest over the last years, and is a key element to reach these specific objectives, but is also crucial for standard satellite systems. Indeed, vulnerability exploits can lead to dramatic consequences, such as loss of a satellite’s control, or even a modification of its attitude for the purpose of creating intentional collisions, or a breakdown of services which are critical to human activities, such as navigation systems.

In order to raise awareness of the Luxembourg space ecosystem, ILNAS organized a workshop « Technical Standardization in Space and Cybersecurity » at the Maison de la Biomédecine II, on June 27^th, 2023. Consisting of two successive sessions, this event was introduced by Dr. Jean-Philippe Humbert, Deputy Director of ILNAS, who presented the institute, its activities, and also the strategical developments in terms of technical standardization. Then, Mr. François Thill, Cyber Security Director at the Ministry of the Economy, gave a holistic view of cybersecurity challenges, and encouraged space actors in Luxembourg to build on known standards and lessons learned. To conclude this general introduction, M. Jérôme Hoerold, Head of Department of the Organisme Luxembourgeois de Normalisation (ILNAS/OLN), detailed the Policy on Aerospace Technical Standardization (2021-2025).

The first session, aimed at giving the European context to the event’s topic, was opened with a speech from the European Space Agency (ESA). In order to provide a global overview of the subject, M. John Irving, Security Engineering Manager at ESA, showcased a history of cyberattacks, the different possible threats and risks, and concluded by presenting the landscape of standards and available tools which can be used by the space domain.

Following this presentation, M. Marco Marcovina, member of ETSI/TC SES Satellite Earth Stations and Systems, highlighted the cybersecurity issues related to non-geostationary orbit satellites and the lack of normative and legal frameworks in this area.

The second session of this workshop focused on the national context. Dr. Lucas Cicero presented the new version of the Standards Analysis for the Aerospace Sector.