Course overview
Foundations in Space Cybersecurity provides a hands-on introduction to the technical landscape of space systems and their security. This course builds the essential knowledge base that space cybersecurity work requires — understanding how spacecraft, ground stations, communication links, and mission operations actually function before learning to assess, exploit, or defend them.
Through fourteen practical labs, students track real satellites, decode actual signals from orbit, analyze space communication protocols, deploy open-source mission control software, and simulate attacks against satellite links. You’ll work in the ETHOS Virtual Environment (EVE), a pre-configured lab platform with industry-standard tools ready to use.
This isn’t a theoretical survey. You will capture and decode real NOAA weather satellite transmissions, parse actual CCSDS telemetry packets, stand up functional mission control systems, and execute simulated attacks against satellite communication links. Every concept is reinforced through hands-on application.
The course introduces SPARTA (Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis) methodology from The Aerospace Corporation, establishing the structured framework for analyzing space system threats that our advanced courses build upon.
Delivery formats
Online + virtual labs
Live virtual instruction combined with the ETHOS Virtual Environment (EVE): pre-configured tools, real satellite signal recordings, extended lab access after the course, and a lab guide with code snippets and references. Best for distributed teams and organizations training multiple people without travel costs.
In-person + hardware labs
Adds physical SDR equipment, live satellite signal capture, and ground station hardware to the learning experience. There’s a difference between decoding a recorded signal and watching data stream in from a satellite passing overhead — this format makes that difference tangible. Best for students preparing for roles involving actual ground station hardware.
- Cybersecurity professionals expanding into space system security
- Space engineers and operators building cybersecurity literacy
- Systems engineers on space programs who need security context
- Students and researchers in aerospace, computer science, or cybersecurity
- Government and military personnel entering space security roles
- IT security professionals moving into aerospace
- Linux command line basics — navigate directories, run commands, work in a terminal
- Networking fundamentals — basic TCP/IP and packet concepts
- No prior space systems experience required
Upon completion, students will be able to:
- 01 Identify and describe the key segments and components of space systems
- 02 Track satellite positions and analyze orbital data using industry tools
- 03 Conduct open-source intelligence (OSINT) on space assets
- 04 Decode real satellite signals using software-defined radio (SDR) tools
- 05 Analyze CCSDS and custom telemetry packet formats with Wireshark and Python
- 06 Deploy and configure open-source mission control software (OpenC3 COSMOS, NASA cFS)
- 07 Simulate basic cyberattacks against satellite communication links
- 08 Apply SPARTA methodology to analyze space cyber incidents
Module 1 · Introduction to Space Systems
- Space system architecture: space segment, ground segment, user segment
- Orbital mechanics and common satellite orbits
- Spacecraft subsystems and communication architecture
- Building mental models for space system security
Module 2 · Satellite Tracking and OSINT
- Two-Line Elements (TLEs) and orbital data interpretation
- Satellite tracking with GPredict
- OSINT tools and techniques for space asset reconnaissance
- Lab 1: Satellite tracking with GPredict
- Lab 2: OSINT on a LEO satellite
Module 3 · Software Defined Radio and Signal Decoding
- SDR fundamentals, legal considerations, and ethical usage
- Weather satellite signal decoding with NOAA-APT and SatDump
- Iridium constellation signal analysis
- Lab 3: Decoding APT with NOAA-APT
- Lab 4: Decoding APT with SatDump
- Lab 5: Iridium network signal decoding
Module 4 · Packet Analysis and Protocols
- Introduction to CCSDS and custom telemetry protocols
- Packet analysis techniques with Wireshark
- Protocol parsing with Python
- Lab 6: Parsing CCSDS packets with Wireshark
- Lab 7: Analyzing custom satellite packets with Wireshark
- Lab 8: Python parsing and payload extraction
Module 5 · Open-Source Mission Control Software
- OpenC3 COSMOS architecture and capabilities
- NASA Core Flight System (cFS) fundamentals
- Creating COSMOS plugins and packet definitions
- Integration between cFS telemetry/command and COSMOS
- Lab 9: Deploying OpenC3 COSMOS
- Lab 10: Deploying NASA cFS and integrating with COSMOS
Module 6 · Simulated Attacks and Cyber Analysis
- Common communication link vulnerabilities: replay, spoofing, jamming
- SPARTA methodology for space threat analysis
- Encryption implementation for satellite links
- Lab 11: Scripted RF attacks
- Lab 12: Command injection on simulated satellite
- Lab 13: Encrypting simulated communication links
- Lab 14: Simulated attack analysis using SPARTA
You decode actual satellite transmissions, not contrived examples, and deploy real mission control software used on actual space missions.
Every module ends with practical exercises. Tracking, decoding, parsing, deploying, attacking — you leave with reps.
GPredict, SatDump, Wireshark, OpenC3 COSMOS, NASA cFS — the same tools used in real space operations and security assessments.
This course establishes the technical baseline for Offensive Space Operations and Defensive Space Operations. Students leave with the literacy those courses assume.
Designed for learners from diverse backgrounds. No space experience required — just Linux basics and curiosity.
Foundations in Space Cybersecurity is delivered privately to teams and organizations — no public open enrollment. Reach out with a rough sense of your team size, timeline, and whether you'd like the standard curriculum or a version tailored to your own mission profile.