ESA inaugurates new Cyber Security Operations Centre

Written by Copernical Team Tuesday, 27 May 2025 07:00

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On 27 May 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) took an important step in ensuring the continued security of its critical infrastructure with the inauguration of a new Cyber Security Operations Centre (C-SOC) at its European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany.

The new C-SOC will monitor and protect ESA’s digital assets – from satellites in space to ground stations and mission control systems on Earth. The initiative comes as space infrastructure becomes increasingly integral to Europe's economy and society, and as cyber threats grow more sophisticated.

“Cyber-resilience is an integral part of ESA’s Security Framework and the foundation for trust and collaboration in Europe and worldwide,” said Massimo Mercati, Head of ESA’s Security Office.

“Flying satellites requires cybersecurity measures that are highly specialised and context-aware. A mission control centre like ESOC that operates a fleet of unique satellites around Earth and across the Solar System presents a very different cyber-threat landscape than a traditional corporate IT environment and requires different, more sophisticated, solutions.”

While ESA has long maintained cybersecurity capabilities through the Agency’s Security Office and ESA’s Computer Emergency Response Team (ESACERT) at its ESRIN Centre for Earth Observation in Italy, the scale and complexity of today’s challenges necessitated the establishment of a new dedicated facility.