SpiderOak, a provider company of zero-trust cybersecurity and resiliency software for space systems, announced the successful deployment and demonstration of its OrbitSecure technology aboard the International Space Station. This milestone, achieved using Amazon Web Services (AWS) Snowcone edge computing device provided by Axiom Space, completes the next critical step in SpiderOak's plan to demonstrate increasingly complex orbital flight demonstrations.
On July 31, 2023, SpiderOak's OrbitSecure software was uploaded to the space station in cooperation with Axiom Space and AWS. The system successfully demonstrated sending and receiving secure ops traffic between ground and low-Earth orbit. The Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS) handled communication to the space station.
This successful demonstration positions SpiderOak as a critical enabler for the burgeoning new space economy, which heavily relies on the secure transfer of data and mixed workloads across hybrid platforms in space. For the first time, SpiderOak has validated the potential of containerized workloads in a space environment, demonstrating a secure, software-defined model applicable to the unique challenges of space operations.
"The future of space is undeniably software-defined," said John Moberly, SpiderOak's Senior Vice President for Space. "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."
This breakthrough opens immense potential to secure even the newest data-intensive operations in space, including in-space manufacturing, scientific research, and commercial human spaceflight. Moreover, it lays the groundwork for creating orbital data centres.
As data centres extend into space, the need to secure communications from the station to the ground and within the data centre itself increases. SpiderOak's demonstration builds upon the company's foundational work with Ball Aerospace, addressing these necessities and cementing SpiderOak's position as a leader in securing mixed workloads across heterogeneous platforms.
"SpiderOak's innovative efforts contribute to reshaping the way we approach space networking," said Jason Aspiotis, Axiom Space Director of In-Space Infrastructure & Logistics. "The team's successful demonstration of OrbitSecure technology is a significant step toward building secure, dynamic, and scalable space communications and data processing infrastructures."
SpiderOak's successful demonstration also highlights the vast potential for government and commercial workloads, with secure orchestration for containerized tasks in space. As constellations grow and interconnect, new hardware can seamlessly join the mission, with older systems easily uploaded and integrated into new tasks.
"This represents a pivotal advancement toward a future where national security is maintained beyond the confines of our terrestrial defenses, reinforcing information assurance in an increasingly digitized and interconnected universe," said Charles Beames, Executive Chairman of SpiderOak. "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. More significantly, new commercial systems can combine with emerging U.S. Space Force platforms to make measurable improvements to secure our national defense."
Click here to learn more about SpiderOak's OrbitSecure Technology.
