Cyber resilience

Satellites may be far from Earth, but they are still vulnerable to being hacked. ESA is committed to protecting its assets in space and on the ground, as well as those of its partners and Member States. To that end, ESA is working to boost cyber resilience not only within the Agency but across Europe's space sector, protecting space technologies against attack and accelerating the integration of space systems and services with the terrestrial economy.

ESA's assets include ground systems, data centres and networks that support the real-time operation of space missions and services that are increasingly critical for the daily lives of European citizens.

Cyber-attacks can target individuals, companies, public institutions, and civil services such as energy grids, water treatment and distribution works, financial markets, and supply chains for food and vaccines. And these all increasingly rely on satellites and space-based services.

Strong and reliable communication is a key part of the space industry. From the signals that make global satellite navigation work to the data we collect from Earth-monitoring missions, space telescopes, human spaceflight and planetary exploration, everything has to be transferred and stored securely. And these data must be available to those who need it, uninterrupted, any time.

For these reasons and many more, cyber security and cyber resilience are vital for ESA. Whilst cyber security is all about protecting ourselves against cybercrime, cyber resilience also focuses on mitigating the damage if an attack ever does occur. A number of activities are boosting the two, including the Cyber Centre of Excellence, the Cyber Security Operations Centre, and ESA's newest site – the European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC).