A pioneering course on cyber security in space is the first to be offered in Scotland by the International Space University (ISU).
The Executive Space Course, which is hosted and developed in partnership with the University of Strathclyde Business School (SBS), will focus on understanding threats, vulnerabilities, detection and response to cybercrime.
The May 13-15 programme also covers satellite building, emerging space technology and entrepreneurship and opportunities in space.
Intended for professionals working in the space sector or those who want to develop a better understanding of the rapidly evolving space sector, it offers participants postgraduate level micro credentials.
Huge potential
Course organiser, Dr Sharon Lemac-Vincere, an interdisciplinary academic at the University of Strathclyde and a visiting academic at the International Space University, said: “The UK & Scottish strategy is to grow the space sector, which has huge potential. But space is also an attractive proposition for cyber criminals and so cyber resilience has to be an essential part of any Space business.
“Academia plays a key part in supporting the space sector through innovative research and education, but I believe that executives in the sector need specific cyber resilience training.
“If leaders understand cyber security, then they are more likely to see it as a critical part of the picture and engage with it.
Cyber security innovation needs to match the ambition and innovation in the space sector and stay ahead of the cybercriminals. It’s about becoming one of the most secure space nations in the world, and being disruptive and ambitious.
The course will be followed by a conference in Strathclyde’s Technology & Innovation Centre from May 13-16: ‘Space: Securing our Entrepreneurial Future.’ The key focus is the need to prioritise secure-by-design cyber security and resilience planning, in a rapidly growing space industry.
Skills gaps
Globally, there are broad skills gaps in the space and cyber sector, with an estimated three and a half million unfilled vacancies by 2025, and Dr Lemac-Vincere added: "By addressing these challenges and fostering collaboration, it paves the way to creating a secure and thriving entrepreneurial space sector."