Enhancing Space Security Utilizing the Blockchain: Current Status and Future Directions

Abstract

The Blockchain concept is often mostly associated with Bitcoin and monetary transactions, however, the technology has enormous potential for several industries including the space sector. Cybersecurity enhancement plays a detrimental role in critical core operations inside the space functional flow: from the supply chain, satellite orbital tracking, and digital communications efficacy. The increasing adaption of connected highly advanced technologies exposes satellites, aeronautical drones, space vehicles, and ground stations to new types of cybersecurity risks. Hacking, cyber threats, as well as cyber-crimes in space are new trends. Such industrial ecosystems can benefit from Blockchain & distributed ledger technologies (DLT) that make it possible to intelligently decentralize governance. This work attempts to further demystify the linkage between space and the Blockchain, address the ledger's potential to provide added-on cybersecurity to the critical space core functionalities, via a ready-prototyped DLT/IOTA secure framework (SWIoTA), and finally, illuminate the roles of DLT ledger to secure networks of satellites orbits, as well as space tokenization concept.