Strengthening SmallSat Missions with Trusted Computing: Practical Paths for Cybersecurity, Interoperability and Supply Chain Assurance

As small satellite missions mature and scale, cybersecurity and digital trust are increasingly critical across spacecraft, ground systems, and supply chains. Trusted computing, long established in other critical infrastructure sectors, remains relatively unfamiliar within the satellite community but is gaining momentum through the growing adoption and evolution of Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs). This trend reflects recognition that small satellites face the same cyber and supply-chain risks as larger systems, often under more constrained operational conditions.

Small satellite architectures increasingly rely on commercial off-the-shelf components, globally distributed suppliers, software-defined functionality, and routine in-orbit updates. While these attributes enable rapid innovation and cost efficiency, they expand the attack surface and introduce challenges related to component authenticity, software integrity, identity management, and recovery from cyber incidents. Addressing these challenges requires a systematic, lifecycle-oriented approach to trust that spans platform, payload, and ground segments.

Trusted Computing Group (TCG) standards provide a practical, standards-based framework for establishing and maintaining trust in small satellite systems. Capabilities such as hardware roots of trust, secure and measured boot, cryptographic identity, remote attestation, and secure update mechanisms can be implemented in lightweight, modular configurations compatible with small satellite constraints. When integrated using the Cyber Resilient (CyRes) architectural approach, these capabilities support multi-vendor interoperability, verifiable system integrity throughout the mission lifecycle, and enhanced resilience to cyber and supply-chain threats.

This presentation examines how trusted computing principles and TCG standards can be practically adopted within small satellite missions to strengthen cybersecurity, interoperability, and supply-chain assurance. Drawing on recent industry experience and community engagement, it highlights implementation considerations, reference architectural patterns, and phased adoption pathways relevant to operators, integrators, and suppliers. Attendees will gain actionable insight into leveraging trusted computing to enhance mission resilience while preserving the agility and innovation that characterize the small satellite ecosystem.