18/03/2026
Press release
The Cyber Center of Excellence and IRISPACE Join Forces to Strengthen Space Cybersecurity
Press release
Rennes — March 18, 2026 — The Cyber Center of Excellence (PEC) and IRISPACE, the Regional Institute for Space Innovation, announce the launch of a new working group on “Space Cybersecurity,” aimed at developing, at the national and European levels, a strategic and operational approach to the cybersecurity of space infrastructure, and at helping to combat emerging threats.
Against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions and expanding areas of conflict, satellites and ground-based infrastructure are increasingly exposed to cyber threats that are not being adequately addressed. Space has now emerged as a major issue for national sovereignty and resilience, and its critical infrastructure must be protected.
This initiative is part of the momentum driven by the new space strategy recently announced by the President of the Republic, aimed at strengthening France’s autonomy, resilience, and competitiveness in the civil, military, and dual-use space sectors. This strategy calls for an unprecedented financial investment—6 billion euros allocated in the 2024–2030 Military Programming Act, supplemented by an additional 4 billion, and 16 billion for the civil and dual-use space sectors—and is based on four priorities: access to space, industrial and skills development, science and exploration, and international cooperation. In this context, the cybersecurity of space infrastructure emerges as a central element of resilience and the protection of national and European capabilities.
A strategic issue that has long been underestimated
Long marginalized in both public policy and industrial strategies, space cybersecurity is now emerging as an essential pillar of technological sovereignty and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The “Cyber & Spatial” working group has three main objectives:
- To organize and inform a multidisciplinary community bringing together representatives from industry, academia, and institutions;
- Formulate operational recommendations for public and private sector stakeholders.
- Provide experimentation tools for deploying cybersecurity systems
A collegial working group
The working group is composed of several members representing the entire ecosystem and members of the Cyber Center of Excellence:
- Private companies: Airbus, Defense & Space, Almond, Gatewatcher, Snowpack, Sopra Steria, YesWeHack
- Universities, research and training centers: IMT Atlantique, University of Brest, b-com Institute of Technological Research, Ynov
- Local government entities: Rennes Métropole, Irispace
The launch of this working group is part of the momentum of the Breton ecosystem, which is recognized for its expertise in cybersecurity and for the growing development of its capabilities in the space sector.
The work will be organized around monthly meetings, supplemented by ad hoc thematic sessions. The working group will be co-chaired by Nicolas Bellec, IRISPACE coordinator and research engineer at IMT Atlantique, and by Antoine Hautin, Vice President of Certification at the Cyber Excellence Cluster and Associate Director of Almond.
“The security of space infrastructure has become a major issue for both civil and military sovereignty. In the face of growing cyber threats, it is essential to build a collective capacity for anticipation and protection at the national and European levels. By launching this working group alongside IRISPACE, we are laying the groundwork for an ecosystem capable of anticipating threats, improving cybersecurity maturity in this field, and proposing concrete solutions to protect our national and European capabilities.”
“IRISPACE is proud to be part of the launch of this working group, which aims to bring together stakeholders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. By working alongside the Cyber Excellence Cluster and all members of the working group, we aim to strengthen our collective understanding of cybersecurity challenges in the space sector—from securing the supply chain to regulatory and standards issues, and the need for European cooperation.”
About the Cyber Center of Excellence
Established in 2014 under the auspices of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Brittany Region, the Cyber Excellence Cluster is a nonprofit association under the French Law of 1901, dedicated to developing the cybersecurity and cyberdefense ecosystem—including training, research, and innovative companies—within the Brittany Region, with a national and European reach. It brings together civilian and military, public and private, academic and industrial stakeholders, who contribute their expertise and engage in their respective areas of operation.
Press contact: Les Rois Mages – Pierre-Edouard Builly – 06 84 34 48 48
pierre-edouard.builly@lesroismages.fr
About IRISPACE
Chaired by IMT Atlantique, IRISPACE (Regional Institute for Space Innovation) aims to support the development of space technologies and their applications as a driver of research, training, innovation, and practical uses. The only institute of its kind in France, IRISPACE is composed of stakeholders and representative bodies active across the entire space sector value chain: launch vehicles, space segment, ground segment, signal processing, data processing, and the development of services and applications. IRISPACE supports the Brittany region in its regional strategy for research and innovation in the space sector. The institute also serves as a liaison between its community and the CNES, through a partnership agreement.
Press contact: Green Lemon Communication – Laurence Le Masle – 06 13 56 23 98
l.lemasle@greenlemoncommunication.com
About IMT Atlantique
IMT Atlantique, a general engineering school within the Institut Mines-Télécom, ranked 3rd among engineering schools in 2028 (L’Étudiant) and among the world’s top 500 universities (THE 2026), stands out for its internationally recognized research. With campuses in Brest, Nantes, and Rennes—each featuring an incubator—the school combines digital technology, energy, and the environment to transform society. It trains engineers selected primarily through the Mines-Ponts entrance exam and also offers four specialized engineering degrees through apprenticeship programs, as well as master’s degrees, specialized master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees.
