- Satellite manufacturer Open Cosmos has engaged Starion España to support its security-by-design approach with specialist cybersecurity expertise for Spain’s new Atlantic Constellation satellites.
- Starion will provide a cybersecurity management plan and iterative risk assessment for the eight satellites due to be delivered in 2027.
- The Atlantic Constellation will deliver Earth observation data with high revisit times for applications including emergency response and environmental monitoring.
Starion España has been contracted by satellite manufacturer Open Cosmos to deliver space security services for the next generation of Spanish satellites in the Atlantic Constellation. Starion will provide the cybersecurity management plan and risk assessment iterations to ensure the secure handling of confidential information and maximise protection against cyber threats, following security-by-design best practices.
The Atlantic Constellation is a bilateral initiative between Spain and Portugal, established in 2022 to develop a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) Earth observation (EO) satellites with high revisit frequency over the two national territories. These will complement existing systems, such as the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Sentinel satellites, providing a more frequent set of data across the peninsular for applications such as emergency response and security management. The constellation’s EO data is also intended for use in a range of land and marine monitoring, including agriculture, forestry, coastal erosion and monitoring of shipping and ocean contamination.
Open Cosmos was selected by ESA and the Spanish Space Agency to build the eight satellites that will form Spain’s contribution to the new constellation; these are expected to be delivered in 2027. Each satellite will be equipped with high-resolution multispectral optical cameras, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sensors, Internet of Things connectivity and an automatic identification system (AIS) receiver for identifying marine vessels.
Starion’s team will collaborate with Open Cosmos to establish security-by-design requirements for the new satellites. This process will outline how confidential data is managed, detail risk assessment and incident response, and support business continuity. A comprehensive risk assessment will identify threat models and cybersecurity risks, including cyber, electronic and physical threat scenarios. Starion will then define and implement security measures to address these risks.
Silvia de Castro Garcia, Managing Director of Starion Group SA, said: “The Atlantic Constellation is a great example of the benefits that can arise from focused localised satellite constellations. They are typically designed to offer more frequent revisit times than many current EO satellites, making them an ideal source of valuable data to support emergency response teams. Projects such as the SAFEPLACE Civil Security from Space programme, which Starion is leading, will benefit greatly from data from these types of constellations, but it has to be trustworthy and therefore cybersecurity has to be a top priority. This is why we are delighted to be supporting Open Cosmos with this aspect as they design and build these new satellites.”