Securing Satellites and Space Data, with Chuck Beames

14.2.2023

Pathfinder

0:00

58:54

When he was a senior Pentagon official, Charles (or Chuck) Beames and his fellow military planners would speak forebodingly about “a day without space.” The nightmare scenario would involve a wide-ranging attack, kinetic or otherwise, on space systems, which could produce cascading communications and navigation failures for the armed forces (and wreak havoc on civilian technology systems as well).

While that scenario hopefully never comes to pass, space is no longer a sanctuary nor uncontested higher ground. And securing civil, commercial, and military spacecraft is the order of the day.

Today's episode is brought to you by Kepler Communications, a company bringing the internet to space. To learn more about Kepler and how they are modernizing space communications, visit https://kepler.space/

• Sneak peek •

On Pathfinder #0035, Chuck joins Ryan for a conversation on reconnaissance, security, and the growing cyber threat in space. Among other things, Chuck is the executive chairman of SpiderOak, a startup focused on shoring up the digital defenses of satellites, space networks, and the ground segment. The company recently raised a $16.4M Series C to develop, test, and fly OrbitSecure 2.0. SpiderOak employs two novel security approaches—zero-trust encryption and distributed ledger technology (DLT)—to secure space assets, along with the creation, communication, and management of data. OrbitSecure wraps up the company’s design philosophy and latest defensive techniques into one offering. The product securely compartmentalizes data for complex, interconnected space infrastructure. That’s important, per SpiderOak, because “today, the horizontal integration of ground stations, spacecraft, and payloads means you’re trusting third parties with mission-critical data.”

Rest of the resume: Chuck is also the executive chairman of York Space Systems, a satellite manufacturer, and cofounder/chairman of the SmallSat alliance. In a past life, Chuck held executive positions in the Pentagon and served as the president of Vulcan Aerospace, where he oversaw $1B of AUM invested in space and tech initiatives and directed the Stratolaunch project. In one of his government posts, Chuck oversaw a $90B annual acquisition budget mostly focused on remote sensing, space-based communications, and orbital launch services. Lastly, Chuck served 23 years on active duty as an Air Force space and intelligence officer, and retired as a colonel.

• Chapters •

02:30 Chuck joins show
03:18 SpiderOak mission + raise
07:29 Waking up to cyber threat from peer/near-peer adversaries
09:14 Thoughts on the Chinese spy balloon?
12:10 Balance of offensive vs. defensive capabilities on orbit
15:44 Cybersecurity and the gray zone
17:22 Vulnerabilities of space systems
19:37 Should space have its own critical infrastructure designation?
21:12 A day wthout space
27:15 SpiderOak using COTS
32:09 The zero trust security framework
37:10 What's unique about cybersecurity in space (vis-a-vis terrestrial applications)
45:36 Max Q
49:01 Staying focused while dealing with diverse mission needs across military, commercial, and civil space
53:24 Chuck's hobby