Toulouse, France. February 18th, 2025 – U-Space, a French company manufacturing small satellites based in Toulouse signed a long-term contract with CYSEC to implement its security software “ARCA SATLINK” for its smallsat platforms.
Due to the rising geopolitical tensions, satellites are more and more targeted by cyber criminals, not only governmental missions but also commercial missions. Although cybersecurity has not always been a top priority among satellite manufacturers and operators, things are changing fast. New national regulations for example in France, the UK or Germany also contribute to force the industry embracing better security practices.
CYSEC is a European company based in France and Switzerland that has been pioneering cybersecurity for “newspace” missions by helping companies such as Astrocast, ConstellR, ICEYE, etc secure their assets. Since 2022 CYSEC developed “ARCA SATLINK”, a software implementation on ground and on board of the Space Data Link Security (SDLS) protocol of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). It provides all cryptographic capabilities to secure space data links, Telemetry and Telecommand (TMTC) as well as payload data links.
The contract signed with U-Space in Toulouse will allow the French satellite manufacturer to implement the CYSEC software on all its smallsat platforms produced in their Toulouse satellite factory. This milestone has strengthened their industrial positioning and symbolizes their commitment to innovation and excellence.
Both companies are confident that smallsat platforms combining security and performance can be a winning combo on the current market looking for enhanced sovereignty without compromising on costs or performance.
Mathieu Bailly, BU Manager at CYSEC: “Our collaboration with U-Space shows that satellite manufacturers are now understanding that cybersecurity is not only mandatory to comply to regulations but can also be a Unique Selling Point to win new customers as we see the market demand growing for MoD/DoD smallsat constellations. They’re typically looking for the best compromise between security and performance, exactly what we can offer together with U-Space”.
Antoine Ressouche, Managing Director at U-Space: “Cybersecurity has become a priority for us to ensure our customers that our products can meet the highest security standards. CYSEC has developed a solution that is based on open standards and is complete by covering both ground and space segments. With both our teams located in Toulouse, the collaboration has been very smooth, we look forward to continuing our partnership to enhance the security of satellite communications and data integrity.”.
