The Romanian subsidiary of the Spanish GMV Group has fully coordinated the first European Space Agency (ESA) mission led by a private Romanian company with the launch of the CyberCUBE satellite on July 7.
The satellite launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will test cybersecurity protection methods for European space infrastructure for at least one year. The launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and the 3U CubeSat, approximately the size of a shoebox, will operate as an orbital laboratory designed to test cybersecurity technologies before they are integrated into ESA’s future operational missions.
According to GMV, this is the first time a company from Romania has coordinated an ESA mission from end to end, from design and integration to launch and in-orbit validation.
“We have demonstrated that Romanian experts can lead an ESA mission from start to finish,” said Cristian Chițu, Director of the Space Division at GMV Romania.
GMV Romania was the prime contractor for the project and coordinated the entire consortium consisting of GMV Romania, GMV Spain, and Alén Space, a Spanish company specializing in nanosatellites that was acquired by the GMV Group in 2023. The responsibilities of the Romanian team covered the entire mission lifecycle: design, integration, selection of the launch provider, supervision of operations in California, satellite validation in orbit, and the subsequent transfer of control to ESA.
The satellite was integrated into Exolaunch’s EXOpod deployment system and placed into orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
CyberCUBE is equipped with a reprogrammable processor and a payload dedicated to monitoring cyber threats. The mission aims to provide ESA with a flexible platform on which new security technologies can be tested before being used on operational satellites.
The planned experiments include detecting unauthorized access to command systems; testing post-quantum cryptography technologies; validating new cryptographic key management methods; and monitoring vulnerabilities in space infrastructure under real operating conditions.
A major focus is placed on countering jamming, in which satellite communications are intentionally disrupted, and spoofing, a technique in which false information is transmitted to a satellite to cause it to make incorrect decisions.
“The successful launch of CyberCUBE demonstrates the growing maturity of Romania’s space ecosystem and the value of sustained participation in ESA programs, with the support of the National Research Authority (ANC) and the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA). We are proud to see a mission led by a Romanian company reach this important milestone, showcasing the expertise developed by Romanian specialists in advanced space technologies and cybersecurity,” said Daniel-Eugeniu Crunteanu, Director General of the Romanian Space Agency.
The mission has a budget of approximately EUR 1.9 million and an estimated operational duration of at least 12 months. The main user of the platform will be ESA’s Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), which will coordinate the experiments and analyze the collected data.
CyberCUBE is not the first major space project involving the Romanian team. In October 2024, GMV Romania also contributed to the European Space Agency’s Hera mission, the first European planetary defense program. The company developed part of the spacecraft’s guidance, navigation, and control system, including the image processing unit used by the autonomous navigation system.
(Photo source: SpaceX, Gmv.com)
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