European Space Agency (ESA)
The European Space Agency, known as ESA, is an international organization established to organize and coordinate space initiatives in European countries. Its activities include the study of Earth, the Solar System, and the Universe; the development of satellite technologies; support for the European aerospace sector; and collaboration with space agencies in other countries.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organization created to coordinate space activities in Europe. Its space programs aim to explore Earth, the Solar System, and the Universe; develop satellite technologies; promote the European aerospace industry; and collaborate with space agencies in other countries.
Among its space programs, the Copernicus program 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. At the heart of the Copernicus program is its space component, consisting of the Sentinel satellite family, developed and operated by ESA. Each satellite in the Sentinel constellation is dedicated to a specific mission, ensuring comprehensive coverage and a constant flow of data.
ESA’s Cybersecurity Needs
Although the data provided through the Copernicus program is “free and open,” it remains extremely important to ensure the integrity and availability of the information to support the services offered through Copernicus Services, including Emergency and Security. Given its strategic nature, the program must ensure its resilience against any cyber threats that could compromise its functionality and reliability.
In this context, within the Copernicus program, the Coordination Service plays a key role as a central hub for managing and monitoring the performance of the services within the ESA Operations Framework (EOF) of the Copernicus Space Component (CSC): Currently, EOF-CSC consists of approximately 25 services with various 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 encompasses all activities necessary to ensure the proper orchestration of operations among the various services by monitoring the overall performance of the associated operations.
Security Objectives of the Coordination Service
Toward the end of 2024, Serco Italia was awarded a contract, as the prime contractor, to provide services for the Coordination Service for a period of 40 months for the end client, ESA, entrusting all cybersecurity activities to Exprivia.
Specifically, starting in January 2025, Exprivia has been handling:
- Cybersecurity Governance, including the definition of security processes and procedures;
- Cybersecurity Architecture Design;
- Security monitoring of the Coordination Service’s infrastructure;
- Support for the coordination of EOF-CSC security incident management;
- Management and development of a performance dashboard capable of displaying security performance metrics for all services that make up EOF-CSC.
Collaboration Between DFCY and DFDA
After winning the contract, Exprivia’s Defense & Aerospace and Cybersecurity Digital Factories began a fruitful collaboration, combining their expertise in the aerospace sector with their advanced cybersecurity capabilities, respectively.
The team supporting these 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 the End Customer
Security and Resilience: Cybersecurity governance activities and architectural design will help create a more robust and secure 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: Monitoring security events will enable the timely identification of suspicious activity. This constant monitoring, combined with coordinated incident management across all Copernicus EOF services, ensures a rapid and effective response to any threats, minimizing potential damage and downtime.
Visibility and Control: The Performance Dashboard provided by Exprivia will offer the European Space Agency a clear, centralized view of security performance across all Copernicus EOF services. This analytical tool will enable the agency to monitor performance metrics, make informed decisions, and gain greater control over its security posture. The ability to visualize and analyze this data is essential for proactive security management.
Dedicated security team: By entrusting the management of cybersecurity to a dedicated team, ESA benefits from the support of high-caliber specialists. This support ensures the adoption of the industry’s most advanced expertise, protecting the Coordination Service’s operations through expert and constant monitoring.
