"Virginia Tech, International Partners Debut First-Of-Its Kind Testbed for Resiliency, Security in Space-Based Internet Networks"
Elon Musk's Starlink and other satellite Internet projects aim to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet around the world. However, some major questions remain unanswered, such as how to build a resilient, secure network in space. Therefore, researchers from Virginia Tech's Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) have collaborated with researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK to develop the world's first hardware-in-the-loop testbed that simulates the changing connectivity of a mega satellite constellation at scale. Network Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are interconnected on the ground. A Verizon network user, for example, can communicate with someone on an AT&T network. Communication on the ground is relayed between networks, while communication in space is compartmentalized. The mega constellations of satellites that comprise various space networks do not communicate with one another — not between orbits, networks, or individual satellites. The researchers want all the networks to communicate securely and efficiently. The testbed is directly related to making this happen by connecting the various space networks in constellations and pivoting toward 5G/NextG wireless communications capabilities. The Virginia Tech team and its partners have been researching new space-based, high-bandwidth networks with the help of the CCI. The testbed they have been working on for the past year will simulate mega internet constellations, including satellites, ground stations, connected devices like phones, and the links between all of them. The team is investigating what to do when operations are disrupted by a space event or a security breach, and how an adjacent satellite network could compensate for a compromised system by running the testbed through various scenarios. This article continues to discuss the first-of-its-kind testbed for security and resilience in space-based Internet networks.