Within Aviation Week & Space Technology’s September 2-15th issue, Utah Logan reported on increasing emphasis on reimagining engineering and program management software for space industry applications. Start-up companies like Stoke Space and space professionals are developing software programs that track parts and inventory locations while guiding employees through workflows. The primary goal of this specialized management software is to improve engineering efficiency and reduce development costs and timelines. This space-focused management software enables external-internal communication and updates across the wide berth of entities involved in spacecraft development, manufacture, testing, and launch. The external-internal communication construct expands from typical program management software like Jira.
From a cybersecurity perspective, program management software presents an opportunity for nation-state actors to insert spyware, which would enable industry espionage. Third-party monitoring and access could identify potential attack vectors within the supply chain while allowing nation-states the ability to engineer similar product sets. Additionally, access to workflows may provide threat actors opportunities to screen for potential insider threat attack vectors. Web-based management software like that of Integrate Space, which uses online portals to connect all external vendors and customers, could be an easier entry point for threat actor access. The COTS potential for this software also implies that early access and insertion of spyware could enable a threat actor to a large breadth of commercial and DoD space system development.
While the article does not mention cybersecurity protections, the development environment for such software and the focus on speed suggests that cybersecurity considerations have been overlooked. Limited capital investment for start-ups funded through venture capitalism is not likely to emphasize cybersecurity measures, including access control and user monitoring.
Logan, U. (2024, September 2-15). Space Industry Fosters Software Focused on Faster Engineering. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 186(17). 58.https://aviationweek.com/space/commercial-space/space-industry-fosters-software-startups-focused-faster-engineering