| | | | Steely Newsletter Issue #024 |
| Read all about the "Next Big Space Industry: satellites taking pictures of satellites", Russian exploiting new Starlink vulnerabilities, the Hack-A-Sat competition ends with the winners earning $50,000, and so much more! |
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| | Defense One | Patrick Tucker | 08-11-2023 Satellite images are being increasingly used to track objects in space. This is because the number of objects in orbit is growing rapidly, and satellite images provide a way to track these objects and identify any potential hazards. Maxar Technologies is one company that has been providing satellite images of objects in space to the U.S. government and other customers. The company's images can help to solve problems of space-traffic management, such as avoiding collisions between satellites. This is because satellite images can be used to track the location and movement of satellites, which can help to identify potential collisions and take steps to avoid them. |
| Forbes | Bruce Dorminey | 08-16-2023 Ireland's first-ever satellite, EIRSAT-1, is a gamma-ray burst hunting CubeSat that is scheduled to launch into low-Earth orbit later this year. The mission is led by the University College Dublin (UCD) and is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). EIRSAT-1's main goal is to democratize the search for gamma ray bursts (GRBs), the most powerful explosions in the cosmos. |
| C4ISRNET | Courtney Albon | 08-17-2023 Colorado-based startup True Anomaly has opened a new 35,000 square-foot manufacturing facility called GravityWorks. The facility will be used to produce the company's Jackal spacecraft, which are designed to perform rendezvous and proximity operations. True Anomaly expects to be able to produce a "mission-ready" satellite every five days with the new facility. The company has also received authorization from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to perform rendezvous and proximity missions with its Jackal vehicle. |
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🛡️Satellite Cybersecurity News |
| The Debrief | Tim McMillan | 08-15-2023 The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has warned that Russia is using custom malware to target Android devices in order to tap into Starlink satellite data. The malware, dubbed "Malware 4.STL", collects data about the Starlink system that is available via API functions. The SBU believes that Russia is attempting to spread the malware using captured Ukrainian tablets on the battlefield. The malware is believed to have been developed by the Russian military intelligence unit Sandworm. Sandworm is a cyberwarfare and Advanced Persistent Threat unit that has been responsible for numerous cyberattacks on Ukraine and other countries. The use of malware to target Starlink is a new development in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The malware could be used to disrupt Starlink communications, which could have a significant impact on Ukraine's military and civilian infrastructure. The article also covers the subject of SpaceX and Elon Musk's role in ending the war in Ukraine. |
| Cyberscoop | Christian Vasquez | 08-16-2023 The first-ever capture the flag in space was held at DEF CON 2023. The competition involved five teams of hackers from around the world who tried to break into a small cubesat called Moonlighter. The winning team, mHACKeroni, from Italy, won $50,000. The competition was not without its challenges, as Moonlighter is not always available and the hackers had to work with real-world conditions. The Hack-A-Sat competition is aimed at bringing cybersecurity and space experts together in a fun competition, but the threats facing space systems are real. |
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| | Lightwave | Sean Buckley | 08-17-2023 Optical Zonu, a provider of RFoF transport solutions, has enhanced its RFoF offering to improve connectivity for 5G direct-to-cellular satellite services. The company has hired Luis Tellez-Giron, a former AST SpaceMobile Gateway Engineer with 30 years of satellite communications experience, as an Aerospace and Defense Sales Engineer. Tellez-Giron will be responsible for helping Optical Zonu's customers deploy RFoF solutions to meet the high bandwidth and low latency requirements of 5G direct-to-cellular satellite services. RFoF is a cost-effective and resilient solution for transporting RF signals over fiber optic cables, making it well-suited for the challenging environments of satellite communications. |
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| | The Japan Times | Elizabeth Beattie | 08-18-2023 After a tsunami cut off Tonga's internet connection, Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service was used to restore connectivity. Starlink is also being used in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, including Malaysia, the Philippines, and Mongolia. Starlink is not yet available in all countries in the region, and there are some challenges to its expansion, such as regulatory hurdles and concerns about its environmental impact. The global LEO satellite market is projected to grow significantly in the coming years, and the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be a major driver of this growth. |
| The Hill | Lauren Sforza | 08-17-2023 North Korea is reportedly preparing to test intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and launch a spy satellite, according to South Korea's intelligence service. The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it has detected unusual activity at North Korean facilities, including one that produces solid-fueled ICBMs and another that deals with liquid-fueled ICBMs. The NIS also said that North Korea may try to launch a spy satellite later this month or early next month to commemorate the country's 75th anniversary on September 9. North Korea's actions are likely in response to joint U.S.-South Korean military drills that are scheduled to begin next week and the upcoming summit of the U.S., South Korea and Japan scheduled for Friday. |
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🏛️US Government Satellite News |
| Space News | Sandra Erwin | 08-17-2023 The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded contracts to SpaceX, Kuiper Government Solutions, and Aalyria Technologies to conduct market research studies on how commercial systems can add capacity to the military's future low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. The SDA is interested in using commercial LEO systems to provide "LEO backhaul" services, which would allow the military to quickly move broadband data between edge and main networks worldwide. The agency is paying a total of $1.6 million to the three companies to conduct the studies, which will last for three months. The SDA is building a layered network of satellites known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The PWSA includes a Transport Layer of interconnected communications satellites and a Tracking Layer of missile-detection and early-warning sensor satellites. |
| Air & Force Magazine | Greg Hadley | 08-17-2023 The Space Force decommissioned one of its space surveillance satellites, GSSAP Space Vehicle 2, after it had reached the end of its designed service life. The satellite was transferred from Space Operations Command to Space Systems Command and deactivated to make way for new more advanced technology. There are now five active GSSAP satellites left, with two more to be launched in 2024 and 2027. The GSSAP satellites operate in near-geosynchronous orbit and have the ability to maneuver, allowing them to observe more and more closely in an orbit where most satellites remain locked in place relative to the earth below. The Space Force is looking to develop the capability to refuel satellites in space, as the current practice of decommissioning satellites once they are out of fuel is seen as unsustainable. The Space Force is also considering using commercial capabilities to service satellites in orbit. |
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