Join the free Cybersecurity for Space Assets Workshop combining theoretical and hands-on sessions
Cybersecurity for Space Assets course takes place 18 – 29 May 2026 in Tartu. It offers a great opportunity for students, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in gaining additional knowledge about space technology and cybersecurity applications in the context of spacecraft and ground-based systems. The course is organised by the Space Technology Department of Tartu Observatory and will be led by Janis Dalbinš.
Cybersecurity in space has become a critical long-term concern for the growth, longevity, cooperation, reliability, and safety of space-related infrastructure. Each space infrastructure development activity requires significant investment from Institutional actors at international and national level as well as public-private partnerships and fully private endeavours. To ensure that these investments are adequately protected, ensuring adequate security protections and assurance is vital.
During the course, students will gain theoretical knowledge about space technology-related cybersecurity problems, space-specific cyber threats, learn how to apply the security-by-design principle, acquire knowledge in cybersecurity methods, and become familiar with current state-of-the-art methods for space system cybersecurity. In addition, students will participate in practical exercises based at the Space Cyber Range. The course has attracted leading international experts as guest lecturers, guaranteed to deliver a high-quality content for participants.
- Completion of all lectures and practical sessions, along with submitting the required feedback, awards 3 ECTS credits.
- Participants attending only the lectures can receive a certificate of participation upon request.
- For additional questions, contact Janis Dalbins ([email protected]).
Participation in the course is free of charge. Registration is closed.
Link to the course for UT students
| Course lecturer | Description |
|---|---|
| Raimundas Matulevičius | Professor of Information Security at University of Tartu Prof. Raimundas Matulevičius has been a Professor of Information Security at the University of Tartu (Estonia) since 2019. His research interests include information security and privacy, security risk management, and model-driven security. Currently, Matulevičius is the principal researcher in CHESS (Cyber-security Excellence Hub in Estonia and South Moravia, funded by EU Horizon Europe), CYBERCHALLENGE (Challenges Solving in Cybersecurity Study Program, funded by Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships program), and the coordinator of the SECURE-NET (Enhancing Cross-Sectoral Collaboration in Cybersecurity in Estonia, Czechia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and the Netherlands, funded by Horizon Europe) project. Matulevičius leads the Information Security Research Group (https://infosec.cs.ut.ee/). |
| Jānis Dalbiņš | Junior Researcher at University of Tartu Jānis Dalbiņš is a doctoral student in physics and holds an Engineer position at Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu. He specializes in telecommunications system development and deep-space CubeSat research and space system development. Jānis has an extensive background in mission planning, development, and management of teams of various sizes, including as ESTCube-2 telecommunications team leader, later as ESTCube-2 systems engineer, and currently as Estonian Student Satellite Foundation chief mission officer. Since 2020, Jānis has been responsible for the UT course “Space Technology Project (LTTO.00.004)”. During his 2-year stint abroad in Paris, France, he worked as a Research Engineer at the Paris Observatory’s CENSUS lab, responsible for developing a remote nanosatellite testing system in CENSUS's cleanrooms. Since 2026, Jānis has been responsible for developing the space cybersecurity research direction in Tartu Observatory. |
| John Irving | Security Engineering Manager at European Space Agency John Irving joined the European Space Agency in 2009, leading a number of high-assurance Galileo Ground Segment Security Activities with close collaboration with EU and European institutions until moving into the ESA Security Office in 2020. In his current role as the Head of Security Engineering his primary objective is to improve the security posture and resilience of the Agency and its partners. He is also Technical Officer for the GSTP funded Cyber-Security Operations Centre (CSOC) and supports the Space Cyber Centre of Excellence (SCCoE) which, amongst other cyber focused initiatives including contributing to new European space cyber standards. Prior to joining the agency, John worked within European industry in software, systems and security on civilian and military projects. He has an Masters of Engineering in Space Systems and Business Engineering from TU Graz in Austria. |
| Vincent Lenders | Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Luxembourg
Vincent Lenders is a Full Professor of Cybersecurity and FNR PEARL Chair at the University of Luxembourg, where he leads the Systems and Network Security (SNS) Group. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of the Executive Boards of the OpenSky Network and Electrosense associations, which promote open data and collaborative sensing in wireless communication systems. His research lies at the intersection of cybersecurity, wireless networked systems, and artificial intelligence, with a strong emphasis on satellite and aerospace security. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and his work has contributed to strengthening the cybersecurity of defence systems and satellite infrastructure. He is the co-founder of the international Workshop on the Security of Space and Satellite Systems (SpaceSec) which he chaired in 2026. |
| Ioana Boureanu | Professor in Secure Systems at University of Surrey Ioana Boureanu is a Professor in Secure Systems at the University of Surrey. She is also the Director of the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security (SCCS). Her research interests are in area of cyber security, formal verification and cryptography, with a focus on, (a) formal security analysis -- development of formal frameworks and tools for protocol analysis, (b) provable security -- generic framework development, protocol design, security proofs. Since 2023, she has applied some of these to space systems. |
| Clémence Poirier | Senior Cyberdefense Reasearcher at ETH Zurich
Prior to joining CSS, she was a Research Fellow seconded by CNES (the French Space Agency) at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna, Austria where she conducted multidisciplinary research on space affairs. She also worked as a Researcher for Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia where she carried out policy and legal research on the cybersecurity of the Australian space infrastructure. She is a guest lecturer at the NATO Defense College, the University of Oxford, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and ETH Zurich. She is also a Board Member of the CyberSat Summit and Women4Cyber Switzerland. She is affiliated with the Open Lunar Foundation and the Jeff Bleich Centre for Democracy and Disruptive Technologie (JBC). Her research interests focus on space cybersecurity, cyber conflict in outer space, and electronic warfare on space systems. |
| Gregory Falco | Assistant Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University Prof. Gregory Falco is an architect of next-generation uncrewed air and space systems for contested and strategically competitive environments. He is an Assistant Professor in Cornell University’s Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program, where he directs the Aerospace ADVERSARY Lab. The lab develops autonomous, resilient, and secure aerospace systems engineered for multi-domain operations in high-consequence environments. He serves as NATO Country Director for the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme’s HEIST initiative, leading the development of hybrid space–subsea communications architectures that reroute undersea cable traffic through aerospace systems to strengthen allied infrastructure resilience. Prof. Falco has been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 for contributions to critical infrastructure cybersecurity, named a Fulbright Scholar, and awarded the DARPA RISER and DARPA Young Faculty Awards. He has supported major research programs on space system security and autonomy with AFRL, the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and DARPA, and holds an appointment as a Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
| Jessie Hamill-Stewart | PhD researcher at University of Bristol and University of Bath Jessie Hamill-Stewart is a Cyber Security CDT (PhD) researcher at University of Bristol and University of Bath, conducting interdisciplinary research about collaboration and the cyber security and resilience of space infrastructure. She is also Programme Lead on the CySpace Connected Capability Network, funded by Satellite Applications Catapult, which involves mapping cyber security and space domain awareness capabilities, and brings together a UK-wide network of cyber security and space professionals. Jessie also supports the global space and cyber security eco system. She has spoken at CySat Paris, Global MilSatCom London and the Workshop on the Security of Space Systems (SpaceSec) in San Diego, and contributed to the 2025 Dagstuhl Seminar "Guardians of the Galaxy: Protecting Space Systems from Cyber Threats". Jessie has also published on areas of cyber security for space ground infrastructure and disaster recovery, and contributed to the User and Ground sub groups of the IEEE P3349 |
| Brandon Bailey | Principal Engineer at The Aerospace Corporation Brandon Bailey is a Principal Engineer for the Cybersecurity and Advanced Platforms Subdivision (CAPS) at The Aerospace Corporation, at The Aerospace Corporation. In this role, Bailey has focused on developing a cyber range to support penetration testing training and in-the-lab evaluation of customers’ implementations, performing vulnerability assessments and penetration testing activities for multiple customers as well as performing cybersecurity research on ground systems and spacecraft systems to better position the federal government with respect to protection of our critical space infrastructure. Bailey has also led the development of the space-focused tactic, technique, and procedures (TTPs) framework called Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis (SPARTA). SPARTA is intended to provide unclassified information to space professionals about how spacecraft may be attacked. Bailey is a former civil servant at NASA, where he led various cybersecurity efforts and was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal for his landmark cybersecurity work in 2019. He has extensive experience in the test and evaluation of systems and technology using high-fidelity digital twins with specialization in cybersecurity. |
May 18
12:30-13:00 Introduction to the pilot run of the course and logistics (Jānis Dalbiņš) at W. Oswaldi 1, Tartu room A102
13:00-14:30 Raimundas Matulevičius “Cybersecurity basics” Feedback
15:00-15:45 Jānis Dalbiņš “Spacecraft systems and their cybersecurity” part 1 Feedback
15:45-16:30 John Irving “Spacecraft systems and their cybersecurity” part 2 Feedback
May 19
13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)
Introduction to the Cyber Range
Mission Control System Operations Feedback
May 20
14:00-14:45 Jānis Dalbiņš “Communications in space and their defence” part 1 Feedback
14:45-15:30 Vincent Lenders “Communications in space and their defence” part 2 Feedback
16:00-17:30 Ioana Boureanu “Space-related cryptography methods” Feedback
May 21
13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)
Telemetry and Satellite Communications
Security Monitoring Setup Feedback
May 26
14:00-15:30 Clémence Poirier “Space cybersecurity, space cyber law, and space policies” Feedback
16:00-17:30 Gregory Falco “Emerging trends in space cybersecurity” Feedback
May 27
13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)
Malicious Operations
Incident Response Feedback
May 28
13:00-14:30 Jessie Hamill-Stewart “Cyber defence, incident response” Feedback
15:00-16:30 Brandon Bailey “Cyber threats and attack vectors and penetration testing” Feedback
May 29
13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)
Security Hardening
Communicating with ESTCube-2 flatsat Feedback
After passing this course, the participants will have knowledge in
- cybersecurity basics
- spacecraft system cybersecurity basics
- ground station cybersecurity basics
- cyber attack threats and vectors
- cyber defence principles, incident response, and penetration testing
- cryptography methods
- latest cybersecurity trends
Participants will also gain practical experience in
- Communicating with the satellite
- Scheduling communication with a satellite
- Probing the mission control system for information
- Finding proof of the system being attacked and hacked
- Investigating attacks on the ground station and satellite
- Preventing future attacks and hardening the system
