By 
June 2nd, 2023
Moonlighter is a 3U CubeSat developed to enable real-time cyber security testing in orbit.
Image credit: The Aerospace Corporation
A tiny CubeSat is being sent into Earth orbit described as the world’s first and only “hacking sandbox in space.”
Called Moonlighter, the mid-size 3U nanosatellite has been designed and built by The Aerospace Corporation. It is slated to offer hackers the ability to perform tests that could identify methods for preventing the hacking of satellite systems in space.
The project is sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and supported by Nanoracks and will be used to introduce the nation’s top cyber professionals to help fill gaps in cyber security testing in space.
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab.
Repeatable, realistic, and secure
The world’s best hackers are able to do space-based cyber experiments that are repeatable, realistic, and secure.
Image credit: Hack-A-Sat 4
“When we say it’s a sandbox, Moonlighter is like a playground where we provide the space and the tools for professional hackers to perform cyber exercises and test out new technology,” said Aaron Myrick, project leader for The Aerospace Corporation. “We hope this will lead to more cyber-resilient architectures for future space missions.”
Moonlighter is among a set of payloads to be soon launched (targeted for Saturday, June 3) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster mission – the SpaceX commercial resupply mission, CRS-28.
Image credit: Hack-A-Sat 4/The Aerospace Corporation
Moonlighter will be part of Hack-A-Sat 4, an annual challenge supported by The Aerospace Corporation, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Space Force. That challenge offers finalists the chance to hack the CubeSat in orbit during DEF CON, a convention for hackers held in August.
For more information on Hack-A-Sat 4, go to:
Posted in Space News
