When Adversaries Look Beyond Earth: Protecting Space Systems from Cyber Threats
Space systems form the invisible backbone of modern life by enabling GPS navigation, climate monitoring, communications, financial transactions, and national security. Yet these same systems operate within an emerging threat environment that remains largely misunderstood and underestimated. As satellites become more interconnected, software-defined, and commercially proliferated, the attack surface above Earth expands dramatically.
This talk introduces audiences to the fundamentals of how space systems operate, the growing cyber threats they face, and why protecting them has become a national and economic imperative. Drawing on real-world incidents, disruptions and insights from The Aerospace Corporation’s research, Brandon Bailey will explore the technical and organizational challenges that make securing space different from traditional IT and OT domains.
The discussion transitions from the “Space 101” foundation to the emerging field of space cybersecurity highlighting unique system constraints, adversary tactics, and resilience gaps before discussing community-driven solutions such as SPARTA. Space Attack Research & Tactic Analysis is a threat-informed framework designed to translate adversary behaviors into practical engineering defenses. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of space cyber risks and why a secure-by-design mindset is essential for future missions, and how academia, government, and industry can collaborate to ensure the resilience of our critical space infrastructure.
Bio: Brandon Bailey is a principal engineer in the Cybersecurity and Advanced Platforms Subdivision at The Aerospace Corporation, where he leads research, penetration testing, and cyber range development focused on protecting national space infrastructure. He is the lead author and architect of SPARTA (Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis), the first open, threat-informed framework describing how spacecraft may be compromised and how to defend them. His work integrates vulnerability assessment, digital-twin testing, and secure-by-design engineering to strengthen the resilience of both spacecraft and ground systems against emerging cyber threats.
Before joining Aerospace, Bailey served as a civil servant at NASA, where he led numerous cybersecurity initiatives and built NASA’s first cyber range for space mission testing. His leadership in infusing cybersecurity into operational NASA missions earned him NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal in 2019 for groundbreaking contributions. A frequent DEF CON presenter as well as a congressional witness on space cybersecurity, Bailey continues to shape national strategy, standards, and education across government and industry.