The objective of this activity is to bring modern, end-to-end network security to space communications by adapting IPsec, the standard security protocol used on the terrestrial Internet, to the CCSDS space communication stack. Led under a contract with European Space Agency, the project develops and validates a modular “IP over CCSDS” security module that enables encrypted, authenticated, and scalable IP networking for satellites, constellations, and future lunar missions.

The solution is designed to work across space-to-ground, space-to-space, and inter-satellite links, even in dynamic and disrupted network conditions. A key goal is to make space networks future-proof: the architecture supports post-quantum cryptography, hardware security modules (HSMs), and certification-ready design principles, while reusing mature open-source components and commercial hardware to reduce cost and risk. The activity (in partnership with OHB System AG) culminates in a TRL-5 Engineering Breadboard, demonstrated in a realistic testbed that emulates real space network effects such as latency, jitter, handovers, and packet loss—laying the foundation for secure, IP-based space infrastructures comparable to those used on Earth today.