Space Cyber Range contract signing in Tallinn, Estonia

[From left to right] Aare Reintam, COO of Cybexer Technologies; Silver Lodi, Management Board Member of Spaceit; Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications; Paul Liia, Head of Space at Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications for Estonia; Kristiina Omri, VP of Special Programs at Cybexer Technologies; Sille Kraam, Director Consulting Delivery in Space and Earth Observation at CGI Estonia; Martin Hunt, VP of Consulting Services at CGI Estonia; Antti Tamm, Director of Tartu Observatory. 

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Estonian Space Office have set out to develop Europe's newest space cyber range that aims to make space technology more secure and accessible for companies across Europe. Last year, Estonian industry was invited to submit proposals for concepts, and today the contract has been signed with a consortium led by Spaceit to begin development. The contract was signed on 23 January 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia. 

The space cyber range offers a safe and cost-effective way for space companies to test, validate and develop secure satellite technologies and solutions and perform cyber exercises and trainings. A space cyber range is a virtual environment that can be supported with a physical site to promote collaboration and provide necessary data centres, servers and equipment. You can picture it as a sophisticated simulator where companies can create virtual copies of their satellites and systems to check for security weaknesses and practice responding to cyberattacks – all before launching real hardware into orbit.

Building on Estonia's digital leadership

Estonia, already home to NATO's cyber defence centre and recognised as one of the world's most digitally advanced nations, will now extend its expertise to the space sector. The new space cyber range will be established at Foundation CR14, Estonia's national cyber range facility. The project brings together some of Estonia's leading tech companies, with Spaceit leading a consortium that includes CybExer Technologies, CGI Eesti, and the University of Tartu. Unlike existing facilities, this new space cyber range is specifically designed to support NewSpace small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The two-year project is supported by ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) strategic programme line, Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S), with an investment of more than €2.5 million, highlighting the agency's commitment to securing Europe's digital future. Development will begin immediately, with several organisations having already expressed interest in using the range, including satellite manufacturers and operators, telecom providers, and research institutions from Hungary, Estonia, Italy, Czech Republic and Switzerland.