At Cybernetica, we believe that space should be safe, secure, and accessible for all. Over the past decade, we’ve been proud to help Estonia play a growing role in the global space industry. Together, we’ve combined our deep expertise in cybersecurity and secure data processing with Estonia’s strong digital foundation to tackle one of the biggest challenges in space today: keeping it safe from collisions and data risks.
Space is getting crowded. Right now, there are more than 10 000 satellites orbiting Earth, and by 2030, that number could reach 100,000. While these satellites support our daily lives by powering GPS, internet, TV, and emergency services, they also pose a danger. When satellites collide, they create debris that can trigger a chain reaction of destruction. This risk, known as the Kessler syndrome, could make parts of space unusable unless we act now.
That’s why, since 2013, we’ve been developing ways to help satellite operators safely share data without revealing sensitive information. Our work began with Sharemind MPC, a privacy-preserving system we created to allow secure data analysis between multiple parties. In 2015, we built an early prototype of a satellite collision avoidance tool using Sharemind as part of the DARPA PROCEED programme in the United States.
Since then, we’ve continued to improve Sharemind’s speed and scalability. Today, we’re building on that foundation with ShareSat, a project supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) under its General Support Technology Programme (GSTP). ShareSat enables satellite operators to jointly calculate the probability of a collision without revealing the exact orbits or technical details of their satellites. This helps prevent accidents while protecting commercial and national security interests.
We’re also applying our cybersecurity knowledge in other ways. In 2020, we began developing Minerva, a cybersecurity toolset that uses unsupervised machine learning to help IT administrators and auditors understand what’s happening inside their networks. Funded by ESA and developed in close consultation with its specialists, Minerva is designed for small and medium-sized organisations. It also has potential applications in the space sector.
Our work is part of a larger Estonian story in space. Since becoming a full member of ESA in 2015, Estonia has opened new doors for local companies and researchers. Our country launched its first satellite, ESTCube-1, in 2013 and followed it with ESTCube-2 in 2023. Other Estonian companies such as Crystalspace, KappaZeta, and Spaceit are helping shape the future of space with advanced hardware, Earth observation tools, and mission control services. We’re proud to be part of this ecosystem, supported by strong academic partners like Tartu Observatory.
At Cybernetica, we’re committed to building secure digital tools that help solve real-world problems, both on Earth and in orbit. Space is a shared environment, and its future depends on collaboration, trust, and innovation. With Sharemind, ShareSat, and Minerva, we’re doing our part to help create a safer space for everyone.
Additional resources
- Decade of advancement: evaluating multi-party computation progress in satellite collision avoidance (Karl Hannes Veskus and Sandhra-Mirella Valdma)
- Cybernetica and European Space Agency research improving space safety
- Estimate Satellite Collision Probability on Encrypted Trajectories
- KUKU Radio episode: Sandhra-Mirella Valdma. Satelliitidest ja kosmosest
- Podcast "Tulevikust täna": Eesti kosmosetööstus