One of the biggest highlights of CyberSat last month was the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) announcing the establishment of a space cyber program, which will serve as the central hub for space cyber activities across the agency.

Given that CyberSat started just two working days after the U.S. government shutdown came to an end, it was likely one of first events post-shutdown to feature a number of U.S. Government speakers. The theme of CyberSat was very much on the continued importance of relationships between the U.S. government and the commercial space industry. This is only heightened as the threats increase.

Another theme was space being the next contested domain. Space is no longer on the edges of communication systems, it's actually a vital, central component of them. This is a double-edged sword — with this increased importance comes increased threat of attack.

In our final edition of Space Security Sentinel for 2025, we’re recapping our CyberSat coverage with highlights from the Pentagon’s Acting CIO Katie Arrington, OpenAI, the Department of Homeland Security, and more. On that note, I wish everyone that is part of this community Happy Holidays, and we look forward to working with you in 2026.

As China, Europe and the U.S. take the first AI-fueled leaps into the future of space-based edge computing, security researchers have exposed critical gaps between rapidly advancing satellite capabilities and essential security needs. They showed how off-the-shelf equipment can be used to exploit vulnerabilities and intercept communications, identify/locate users, and take control of the device. What can be done to protect against cybersecurity threats? Find out in this article.