What does cybersecurity look like beyond Earth's atmosphere? That's the question at the heart of this conversation with Kristiina Omri, Vice President of Special Programs at CybExer Technologies, and Aare Reintam, the company's COO.
We met in Tallinn on the eve of the Software Defined Space Conference to explore how Estonia, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, is helping define the future of space cybersecurity through the world's first Space Cyber Range.
The story begins unexpectedly—with a childhood memory of marmalade in a tube, the same kind sent to Soviet astronauts in orbit.
For Aare Reintam, that small detail became the first spark of fascination with space, one that decades later evolved into CybExer's partnership with ESA. Together they've created a digital testing environment where satellites, ground stations, and communication protocols can be stress-tested for cyber resilience long before launch.
It's a bold move in an era when satellites underpin everything from GPS and precision farming to air travel and climate observation, yet often rely on decades-old technology vulnerable to attack.
Kristiina Omri explains how the Space Cyber Range replicates real-world missions, allowing engineers and analysts to train under simulated attack conditions that feel indistinguishable from their actual control systems.
The range combines the precision of digital twins with the competitive intensity of cyber exercises, preparing teams for threats that can ripple from orbit to everyday life on Earth.
The conversation covers everything from the growing space-debris crisis to the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, and the urgent need to blend space engineering with cyber education.
We also discuss the deeper strategic implications. What happens when quantum computing enters the battlefield? How should Europe prepare for the convergence of cyber and kinetic threats in orbit? And what lessons can be learned from Estonia's leadership in NATO cyber defense as it extends that expertise to the stars?
By the end of the discussion, one theme stands out clearly: the future of cybersecurity is no longer confined to our planet. From digital twins to orbital trust networks, CybExer Technologies and the European Space Agency are proving that the next frontier for cyber readiness lies in space itself.