SpiderOak’s OrbitSecure put to the test in International Space Station demo

SpiderOak provides cybersecurity and resiliency solutions for civil, military and commercial space operations. The company says its commercial products are built on the principles of zero-trust encryption and distributed ledger technology.

SpiderOak validated the potential of containerized workloads in a space environment, showcasing a secure and software-defined approach for space operations.

John Moberly, the senior vice president for space at SpiderOak, envisions a future where software-defined solutions take center stage in the space realm.

“Our successful demonstration shows that it’s not just possible, but effective and secure, to run containerized workloads in modern orchestrated environments with secure data channels from orbit to ground and vice versa,” adds Moberly.

SpiderOak’s OrbitSecure software was successfully uploaded to the space station on July 31, 2023, in collaboration with Axiom Space and AWS. It demonstrated secure ops traffic communication between ground and low-Earth orbit using the Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS).

This achievement opens up new possibilities for securing data-intensive operations in space, including in-space manufacturing, scientific research and commercial human spaceflight. It also sets the stage for the development of orbital data centers.

With the expansion of data centers into space, the significance of securing communications becomes even more pronounced. This entails safeguarding the transmissions from the station to the ground and ensuring security within the data center itself.

According to Jason Aspiotis, the Axiom Space director of in-space infrastructure & logistics, SpiderOak’s initiatives are transforming the current approach to space networking.

“The team’s successful demonstration of OrbitSecure technology is a significant step toward building secure, dynamic, and scalable space communications and data processing infrastructures,” he adds.

SpiderOak’s successful demonstration showcases the immense potential for secure orchestration of containerized tasks in space.

According to Charles Beames, the Executive Chairman of SpiderOak, this marks a significant step towards a future where national security extends beyond our terrestrial defenses.

“We are paving the way to secure all space operations, military, commercial and civil spaceflight, and scale at the speed of need through remote software deployment,” Beames adds. “More significantly, new commercial systems can combine with emerging U.S. Space Force platforms to make measurable improvements to secure our national defense.”

Last December, in collaboration with D-Orbit and Unibap, Amazon Web Services (AWS) introduced edge computing capabilities to space. Unibap installed AWS software tools, including AWS IoT Greengrass and machine learning models, onto D-Orbit’s ION carrier payload.

Article Topics

AWS  |  edge computing  |  ISS  |  SpiderOak