21.04.2026
continuing education

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, who are intrested in space technology and cybersecurity applications for spacecraft and ground systems. The course is organised by the Space Technology Department of Tartu Observatory and will be led by Janis Dalbinš.
Author: Tartu observatoorium

Cybersecurity for Space Assets course takes place 18 – 29 May 2026 in Tartu. It offers a great opportunity for students, who are intrested in space technology and cybersecurity applications for spacecraft and ground 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.

Completing the course will award 3 ECTS credits. Registration for the course is done by contacting Janis Dalbins ([email protected]).

Participation in the course is free of charge.

Link to the course for UT students

Course lecturerDescription
Raimundas MatulevičiusProfessor of Information Security at University of Tartu
John IrvingSecurity Engineering Manager at European Space Agency
Vincent LendersProfessor of Cybersecurity at the University of Luxembourg
Ioana Boureanu Professor in Secure Systems at University of Surrey
Clémence Poirier Senior Cyberdefense Reasearcher at ETH Zurich
Gregory FalcoAssistant Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University
Jessie Hamill-Stewart PhD researcher at University of Bristol and University of Bath
Brandon BaileyPrincipal Engineer at The Aerospace Corporation

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”

15:00-15:45 Jānis Dalbiņš “Spacecraft systems and their cybersecurity” part 1

15:45-16:30 John Irving “Spacecraft systems and their cybersecurity” part 2

May 19

13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)

May 20

14:00-14:45 Jānis Dalbiņš “Communications in space and their defence” part 1

14:45-15:30 Vincent Lenders “Communications in space and their defence” part 2

16:00-17:30 Ioana Boureanu “Space-related cryptography methods”

May 21

13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)


May 26

14:00-15:30 Clémence Poirier “Space cybersecurity, space cyber law, and space policies”

16:00-17:30 Gregory Falco “Emerging trends in space cybersecurity”

May 27

13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)

May 28

13:00-14:30 Jessie Hamill-Stewart “Cyber defence, incident response”

15:00-16:30 Brandon Bailey “Cyber threats and attack vectors and penetration testing”

May 29

13:00-17:00 Practical session (participation on site only at Nooruse 1-144, Tartu)

  1. Gain knowledge about cybersecurity in space systems
  1. Gain knowledge on how to design cybersecure spacecraft systems and their architecture
  1. Gain knowledge in cybersecurity threat types, cyber defense, and cryptography
  1. Provide practical learning experience

After passing this course, the participants will have knowledge in

  1. cybersecurity basics
  1. spacecraft system cybersecurity basics
  1. ground station cybersecurity basics
  1. cyber attack threats and vectors
  1. cyber defence principles, incident response, and penetration testing
  1. cryptography methods
  1. latest cybersecurity trends

Participants will also gain practical experience in

  1. Communicating with the satellite
  1. Scheduling communication with a satellite
  1. Probing the mission control system for information
  1. Finding proof of the system being attacked and hacked
  1. Investigating attacks on the ground station and satellite
  1. Preventing future attacks and hardening the system
Further information
Janis Dalbinš
Tartu Observatory
Department of Space Technology
Engineer