In 2024, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), in partnership with vendors like SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, launched over 100 satellites—more than in any previous year in its history. This monumental achievement reflects a dramatic shift in how the NRO approaches space operations: fast, agile, and cyber-resilient. With satellite development cycles collapsing from years to months, and commercial-grade IT systems now integrated across space vehicles and communications, the need for adaptable, robust cybersecurity has never been greater.

In this session you will:

• Learn how the NRO and its vendors leveraged commercial capabilities, security best practices, and the NIST Risk Management Framework to reduce risk in space operations
• Explore how cybersecurity vulnerabilities common to ground systems are now present in space-based platforms—and how to address them
• Gain insights from Lance Dubsky on risk adaptation in satellite environments and successful public-private teaming strategies for securing next-generation constellations