Security-by-Design for Cross-Constellation Satellite Communications

Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN or "Space Bacon") is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program, which is pursuing a new generation of cross-constellation space communications that involve commercial and government constellations. Today’s optical intersatellite link (OISL) protocols cannot communicate across constellation systems, thereby creating islands of connectivity. Space-BACN is pioneering several fundamental building blocks for interoperable cross-constellation space communications, ranging from a low-cost, reconfigurable high data-rate OISL terminal to a robust command and control mechanism for cross-constellation access. In this paper, we give an overview of Space-BACN and describe the application of a zero-trust based security-by-design approach to address unique cybersecurity challenges in cross-constellation operations and ensure its fieldability.