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Aerospace company Thales has announced that it will provide cyber security solutions for the Galileo Second Generation (G2G) space program.
The program will see the European Space Agency (ESA) refresh its arsenal of satellites with 12 new ones, with a portion being developed by Airbus Defence and Space in Germany and the rest by Thales Alenia Space in Italy.
Now, Thales has secured a contract providing the program with its cyber security needs as part of two contracts.
“Thales has been notified by the European Space Agency (ESA), on behalf of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the European Union represented by the European Commission, of two major contracts for cyber security of Galileo Second Generation (G2G) programme,” Thales said in a press release.
“Together, these contracts represent a total value of over €60 million (excluding options) and confirm the group’s key role in the cyber security of the second generation of the Galileo programme as Thales will be in charge of all elements of the security and resilience of G2G.”
The “G2G System Engineering and Technical Assistance for Security and PRS” will see Thales “specify and verify the new cyber security for the G2G system,” which will involve considering the risks that arise with security maintenance equipment, space systems and more.
A key part of this will involve ensuring the transition from the previous G1G system to the G2G system goes smoothly.
“Thales thanks ESA, EUSPA and the European Commission for its continued confidence in the group’s expertise in space systems and cyber security for critical systems,” said the vice-president of cyber solutions at Thales, Pierre-Yves Jolivet.
“These security contracts for Galileo Second Generation will bring Europe a more robust system with better protection from quantum threats – a major challenge for the space industry in the decades ahead – and will draw on the group’s unparalleled big data expertise to provide more effective security monitoring of the world’s leading satellite positioning system.”
A movement to better establish a secure cyber security environment in space has been growing of late, with both governments and the private sector considering the importance of securing space infrastructure.
In March this year, the White House held a forum with private industry leaders and government stakeholders, outlining plans to bolster cyber security for the US industry.
“Public and private sector space actors – including stakeholders representing the diversity of the space ecosystem – must work together to proactively address cyber security challenges,” it said.
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