End-to-End Security Management of Space Systems using COSMOS2

Terrestrial critical infrastructures have long relied on satellite systems to operate effectively, including for communications, positioning, navigation, timing, and Earth observation. With the onset of the second space race, many new applications and services are rapidly being deployed, often including novel technologies and little security planning or testing due to time and budget pressures. 

There is a growing body of research that seeks to understand the security implications of New Space and provide novel solutions and mitigation strategies to secure space systems in the contemporary threat landscape, particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which involved several targeted and strategic attacks against international space infrastructure.

This article provides an overview of the outcomes of a multi-year research project resulting in the novel COSMOS2 (Contemporary Ontology for the Security Management of Space Systems) framework, developed through iterative feedback from space security experts across 10 countries. The framework includes a definition for space systems security and a tabular taxonomy encompassing the protection of five segments (Ground, Space, Communications, Human, and Governance) against four threat categories (Non-Malicious, Cyber, Electromagnetic, and Kinetic), as depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - COSMOS2 Taxonomy Table

Background

Many countries have recently updated their policies and legislative frameworks to recognise space systems as critical infrastructure and invest in their national space security capability. Some examples of this include Australia’s amendment to the Security....

Author

Dr Jordan Plotnek