Belfast-based cyber security firm Angoka is bound for space . . .
The company, which manages the cyber risks inherent in connected and autonomous vehicles, smart cities and IoT devices, has been accepted to the Airbus Space Accelerator programme.
The programme has been described by Airbus as “an exciting opportunity not only for existing space companies, but for any business with the desire and potential to work in space”.
Angoka director Yuri Andersson, speaking at the Farnborough International Air Show, said it is a chance for Angoka “to deepen its ties with the space industry, helping us to develop the next generation of cyber security solutions.”
The accelerator is part of the wider Community for Space Prosperity (CUSP) initiative to develop the UK’s space ecosystem, where the 14-week programme will help start-ups, academics and non-traditional space businesses to advance their technical offering, understand the commercial space landscape and build connections within the wider space industry.
Airbus is running the accelerator with Plexal, the London-based innovation boutique which collaborates on technology with government, start-ups and industry.
Mr Andersson says there is rapid growing convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication networks for improved coverage and bandwidth.
“A new space economy is being built where in the near future there will be in-space infrastructure such as in-space assembly and manufacturing, orbital data centres and human habitats,” he added.
“Much of the data will be kept in space and processed in space, and to support the communications needs of the future space economy we need new solutions for cyber security and digital infrastructure.
“With emerging cyber threats from quantum computers and AI, traditional approaches such as those based on Public Key Infrastructure or Distributed Ledgers are no longer adequate, and this requires a complete paradigm shift,” he said.
Angoka has also been selected to programmes by Mandala Space Ventures, an incubation studio and venture capital firm that invests in the new space economy, and Venture into Space, both supported by the UK Space Agency.