When asked about why space technology matters, Olga Nasibullina said:
“It’s not only something related to a military agency, it’s related to daily life of civil people. We need to train more specialists in space security, in cybersecurity, in space cybersecurity to be more protected on Earth.”
This is the part most people overlook. The satellites orbiting above us are not just tools of defense or exploration. They are essential systems that keep life on Earth functioning. They connect our phones, guide our flights, track our weather, and even support the way we grow food.
This realization has forced both governments and companies to rethink how they view satellites. They are no longer just advanced pieces of technology orbiting the Earth, but vulnerable entry points that can be exploited through cyber attacks. That shift in mindset came after one significant event.
On February 24, 2022, the world got a harsh reminder of how fragile space infrastructure really is. A piece of malware known as AcidRain struck the VSAT KA satellite network in an attempt to disrupt Ukrainian military communications. But the attack did not stay contained. It spread far beyond Ukraine’s borders, disabling more than 6,000 wind turbines in Germany and affecting thousands of companies across Europe.
The incident revealed a hard truth about modern connectivity: even the most secure systems are only as strong as their weakest link. A vulnerability in a third-party modem or a supplier’s network can ripple across industries and nations in seconds. It was the moment when satellites stopped being seen as distant pieces of technology and started being recognized as critical infrastructure — fragile, interconnected and essential to modern life on Earth.
From Europe to every corner of the world, our economy and security rely on space systems. These are just some of the areas affected when satellites fail or are compromised:
Each of these sectors depends on secure data exchange between space and ground systems. When those links are interrupted, the impact reaches far beyond the space industry.
Space technology has quietly become one of the foundations of modern life. It supports how we communicate, navigate, gather data, and even grow food. What once seemed like a distant, high-tech field now underpins nearly every essential system on Earth.
Over time, the role of satellites has also evolved. They were once used primarily for civilian purposes, such as monitoring soil temperatures and optimizing irrigation in farming. Today, many of those same technologies are being adapted for defense and surveillance, blurring the line between civil and military use.
As Augusto Mattos Schaedle explained, “We are very much as a human race dependent on this technology… for communication, to navigate, towards data, knowing where we are, farming, and many more applications.” That dependence is only growing. As space systems multiply and data flows increase, securing those channels has become critical. The very technologies that connect the world now also expose it, and protecting that connection has become one of the defining challenges of our time.
Securing space infrastructure is not just a technical challenge. It is also a human one. The demand for experts who understand both space systems and cybersecurity is growing rapidly, but the talent pool remains far too small. Training specialists in such a complex and evolving field takes time, and few institutions are equipped to teach the combination of skills required.
Olga Nasibullina has seen this gap firsthand, noting that “we need new type of skills and knowledges related to space cybersecurity.” The shortage of professionals leaves governments and companies struggling to keep pace with the sophistication of modern threats.
At the same time, thousands of older satellites still orbit the Earth, built long before cybersecurity became a concern. Many of these legacy systems continue to transmit valuable data every day, relying on ground stations to secure their communication links. Protecting them requires constant vigilance, creative solutions, and collaboration across industries.
Space may seem distant, but the people and systems that defend it are very much here on Earth, and their work will define how safe our connected world remains in the years to come.
For years, space was treated as a neutral zone; too far, too technical, and too valuable to become a target. Many policymakers believed that satellites and orbital systems would remain untouched by conflict. But recent events have shattered that illusion.
Today, the space layer has become part of the modern battlefield. Cyber attacks on satellites, ground stations, and supply chains show how quickly a single breach can cascade through critical infrastructure on Earth.
As Olga Nasibullina emphasized, “We need to be united in space security community to face this challenge and to work together.” The future of secure space operations will depend on exactly that — collaboration across governments, industries and disciplines.
Protecting space infrastructure means safeguarding the systems that keep our world connected. When space goes dark, everything that depends on it follows.
To explore this topic in depth, watch or listen to the full conversation with Olga Nasibullina and Augusto Mattos Schaedle in the latest episode of Allies in Innovation.