Source: https://spacenews.com/redwire-to-demonstrate-a-security-camera-for-military-satellites/

The company Redwire is planning to demonstrate a security camera-like capability on a satellite by installing surveillance algorithms on navigation cameras. The company is pitching this setup to the military to be used for surveillance.

The demonstration will use Starfish Space’s satellite-servicing vehicle called Otter Pup on a Launcher Orbiter. As a simulated satellite life-extension mission, the Otter Pup will rendezvous with the Orbiter and install the space-tracking algorithms. The camera will have storage for both stars and other space objects.

If this technology is widely implemented, it would greatly increase the domain awareness that the military has in space. With all the information from all the surveillance satellites put together, it allows operators on the ground to see the bigger picture and make decisions accordingly.

This technology could have both positive and negative cybersecurity implications. This capability will allow wider surveillance, offering greater physical protection for military satellites and more knowledge of the threat landscape. However, having a lot of sensitive surveillance data stored on the satellite itself could mean that if compromised, the adversary would have access to a lot of sensitive data. The implemention of this capability will have to ensure that the data has strong encryption and has protections in case of a compromise.