Copernicus Programme: Going to Space Safely
European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organization created to coordinate space activities in Europe. Its space programs aim to explore the Earth, the Solar System, and the Universe, develop satellite technologies, promote the European aerospace industry, and cooperate with space agencies from other countries.
Among its space programs, the Copernicus Programme is one of the most important. It is co-funded and managed by the European Commission in collaboration with ESA and other partners. It is an Earth observation initiative that provides accurate and comprehensive data and information on a global scale to monitor the environment and the safety of our planet. The heart of the Copernicus Programme is its space component, consisting of the Sentinel satellites, developed and operated by ESA. Each satellite in the Sentinel constellation is specialized in a specific mission, ensuring full coverage and a continuous flow of data.
ESA’s Cybersecurity Needs
Although the data provided through the Copernicus Programme are “free and open,” it remains extremely important to ensure the integrity and availability of the information in order to support the services delivered through the Copernicus Services, including Emergency and Security. Given its strategic nature, the program must ensure resilience against potential cyber threats that could compromise its functionality and reliability.
In this context, within the Copernicus Programme, a key role is played by the Coordination Service, a central point for managing and monitoring the performance of the services of the Copernicus Space Component (CSC) ESA Operations Framework (EOF). Currently, EOF-CSC consists of about 25 services with different purposes and functions, such as Data Processing, Data Quality, Data Dissemination, Data Long-Term Archiving, and other services necessary for the satellite data processing chain. The Coordination Service includes all the activities needed to ensure the correct orchestration of operations among the various services, while monitoring the overall performance of the associated operations.
Security Objectives of the Coordination Service
At the end of 2024, Serco Italia won a tender, as Prime Contractor, for the provision of services for the Coordination Service for a duration of 40 months for the final customer ESA, assigning all cybersecurity activities to Exprivia.
Specifically, starting from January 2025, Exprivia has been responsible for:
- Cybersecurity governance with the definition of security processes and procedures;
- Design of cybersecurity architectures;
- Security monitoring of the Coordination Service infrastructure;
- Support to coordination in managing EOF-CSC security incidents;
- Management and development of a Performance Dashboard capable of displaying security performance indicators for all services that make up EOF-CSC.
Collaboration between DFCY e DFDA
With the tender awarded, Exprivia’s Defense & Aerospace and Cybersecurity Digital Factories began a fruitful collaboration, combining experience in the aerospace domain with high-level cybersecurity expertise.
The team supporting the activities consists of at least 20 highly specialized professionals in various fields, including: Security Governance, Vulnerability Management, Data Protection, Application Security, Network Security, and Security Monitoring.
Benefits for End Customer
Security and resilience: Cybersecurity governance activities and architectural design will help create a more robust and protected operating environment. The European Space Agency will benefit from well-defined processes and procedures, reducing vulnerabilities and increasing the overall resilience of the Copernicus EOF Coordination Service systems.
Continuous monitoring: The monitoring of security events will allow timely identification of suspicious activities. This constant monitoring, combined with coordinated incident management across all Copernicus EOF services, ensures a fast and effective response to potential threats, minimizing potential damage and downtime.
Visibility and control: The Security Dashboard provided by Exprivia will offer the European Space Agency a clear and centralized view of security performance across all Copernicus EOF services. This analytical tool will allow the agency to monitor performance indicators, take important decisions, and gain greater control over its security posture. The ability to visualize and analyse this data is essential for proactive security management.
Dedicated security team: By entrusting cybersecurity management to a dedicated team, ESA benefits from the support of top-level specialists. This partnership ensures the adoption of the most advanced industry expertise, protecting the Coordination Service operations through expert and continuous monitoring.
