Latest News

ESA awards funding for new space cyber range in Estonia. Photo: Photo: Enterprise Estonia

A European collaboration will launch a new cyber initiative in Estonia, a country on the front lines of cybersecurity issues. A consortium of Estonian companies, Spaceit, CybExer Technologies, CGI Estonia, and the University of Tartu have signed a multimillion-euro contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a Space Cyber Testing and Training Ground. The collaboration was announced, Jan. 23.

The organizations will to develop a Space Cyber Range under the ESA Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) strategic program line on Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S). It is expected to open in 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia.

The solutions will be based at the CR14 Foundation premises. CR14 is one of Europe’s leading cyber innovation and defense hubs. CR14 specializes in large-scale cyber exercises, through which it helps NATO and its partners enhance their cyber defense capabilities. CR14 cyber ranges host the largest cyber exercises in the world, such as Locked Shields, Crossed Swords, Steadfast Dual, and Cyber Coalition.

“In the field of cybersecurity, Estonian companies are known and recognised by the European Space Agency. This is a strong indicator that a small country like ours has the knowledge and skills to become a leader at a European scale in the implementation of space services, management of threats, development of autonomous robots and ensuring the cyber security of the space sector,” Madis Võõras, head of Space Estonia, said in a statement.

Silver Lodi, CEO of Tartu-based Spaceit, recently spoke with Via Satellite for a magazine article about GNSS jamming in Estonia.

“The Space Cyber Range provides a platform for simulating cyber threats like denial- of-service attacks and GNSS jamming, allowing, organizations to test their systems’ resilience in a virtual environment,” Lodi said. “Through real-world scenario simulations, the [range] helps companies develop countermeasures and enhance their ability to recover from attacks, thereby increasing their overall robustness against GNSS jamming and other cyber risks that affect satellite-based services.”

Get the latest Via Satellite news!

Subscribe Now