Nation's pioneering academic space cybersecurity program accepts its second batch of students.
Indiana University's Space Governance Lab Focuses on Space Cybersecurity
The Space Governance Lab at Indiana University Bloomington is a research initiative that focuses on the governance challenges and policy issues surrounding outer space activities, with a special emphasis on space cybersecurity. The lab was established with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and has received additional funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Microsoft.
The lab's mission is to discuss topics like space commons, sustainability, the space economy, and the future of the final frontier. Its focus on space cybersecurity is part of a broader effort to ensure the secure, stable, and responsible use of space. The lab studies how legal, regulatory, and technological frameworks can protect space-based assets from cyberattacks that could disrupt satellite operations, data integrity, and communications.
The lab's work likely integrates public affairs expertise from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, which engages in cutting-edge policy research. The lab applies theories and frameworks associated with the Ostrom Workshop to space governance.
Recognizing the absence of skilled personnel to protect U.S. critical space infrastructure, the lab has launched a new space cybersecurity program. The program aims to train America's first generation of space cybersecurity experts, including engineers, CISOs in space companies, current and future Space Force personnel, and students of cybersecurity. The first cohort of the space cybersecurity program held classes in the fall of 2023, and the second cohort recently started this spring.
The space cybersecurity program offers a 10-week, online course and is hosted by the Kelley School of Business in collaboration with key governmental and commercial actors. The lab has more than 100 students participating in its courses and other activities.
Prof. Scott Shackelford is the inaugural faculty director of Indiana University's Master of Science in Cybersecurity Risk Management program, and Dr. Eytan Tepper has been invited to serve as a Visiting Assistant Professor and establish and lead the Space Governance Lab at Indiana University.
The Space Governance Lab will host a webinar on April 1st on the Anostromian approach toward Lunar Surface Sustainability. For more information about the Space Governance Lab, consult Indiana University Bloomington’s official websites or contact their public affairs or space policy faculty.
[[1] Indiana University's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs: About the School, Indiana University, accessed March 2023, https://www.indiana.edu/~oneill/about]
- The Space Governance Lab at Indiana University, focusing on space cybersecurity, is working to train the first generation of space cybersecurity experts.
- The lab's mission includes discussions on space commons, sustainability, and the space economy, with a focus on cybersecurity to ensure secure, stable, and responsible use of space.
- The lab integrates public affairs expertise from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, utilizing theories and frameworks associated with the Ostrom Workshop in space governance.
- The lab studies legal, regulatory, and technological frameworks to protect space-based assets from cyberattacks that could disrupt satellite operations, data integrity, and communications. The lab also conducts research on space cyber risk management.
