Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space is a subsidiary of WISeKey, focusing on providing cost-effective and secure IoT connectivity using picosatellites and low-power sensors. This technology ensures enhanced global IoT connectivity, offering reliable data transmission anywhere on Earth. With the expansion of our satellite constellation, we aim to support various sectors like smart farming, energy, and logistics, providing them with low-latency and secure IoT solutions.
Sales Engineer: We have scheduled the launch of new satellites in the fourth quarter of 2024 as part of our efforts to expand our WISeSat.Space LEO constellation. These satellites will be equipped with the latest technology to meet the increasing demands of IoT deployments across different industries. Our goal is to create a comprehensive global IoT network with a latency of around 10 hours, ensuring timely and secure data transfer.
Sales Engineer: Unlike GEO satellites, which are positioned at a much higher orbit (around 36,000 km), our LEO satellites orbit closer to Earth (160 to 2,000 km). This proximity allows WISeSat.Space to offer lower-latency, high-speed connections, which are crucial for modern applications such as real-time data transmission, video, and IoT communication. GEO satellites, while providing global coverage, suffer from higher latency (over 600 milliseconds) and are less suitable for real-time applications.
Sales Engineer: The potential applications of WISeSat.Space's LEO satellites are vast. Beyond the initial applications in smart farming, energy, and logistics, sectors that can benefit include:
Sales Engineer: To date, we have successfully launched seventeen satellites equipped with WISeSat technology aboard SpaceX rockets. This marks the initial phase of our ambitious plan to deploy a total of 80 satellites. This constellation will provide comprehensive global IoT connectivity with the desired data latency goal of 10 hours.
Sales Engineer: Security is at the core of our WISeSat.Space solutions. We are proactively enhancing our security measures to prepare for the era of quantum computing by pioneering the adoption of post-quantum cryptographic solutions. We collaborate closely with SEALSQ, WISeKey’s semiconductor subsidiary, to integrate these advanced cryptographic devices into our satellites, ensuring that our network remains secure and resilient against future cyber threats.
Sales Engineer: The deployment of LEO satellite constellations is more feasible today due to technological advancements and the availability of commercial launch systems. Modern technology has reduced the cost of manufacturing and launching satellites, allowing companies like WISeSat.Space to deploy large constellations cost-effectively. Additionally, advancements in tracking antennas and communication systems have improved the capabilities of LEO satellites, making them a viable alternative for global connectivity.
Sales Engineer: Our LEO satellites provide crucial real-time data on various environmental parameters, such as atmospheric conditions, sea levels, ice sheet melting rates, and deforestation. This data is essential for tracking natural disasters, predicting weather patterns, and implementing early warning systems. By providing a reliable stream of real-time information, WISeSat.Space contributes significantly to disaster preparedness and response, aiding in global efforts to address climate change.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space LEO satellites provide improved navigation, communication, and tracking over vast and remote areas, including oceans and polar regions. For maritime operations, our satellites support enhanced Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking and real-time oceanographic data, which improve safety and efficiency. Similarly, in aviation, better communication and tracking enhance route planning, safety, and search and rescue operations.
Sales Engineer: Yes, one of the key advantages of our LEO satellites is their ability to provide high-speed internet access in remote and underserved regions. This capability can support healthcare and telemedicine, education, rural banking, and other critical services that rely on reliable internet connectivity. Our goal is to bridge the digital divide, enabling access to essential services in areas where traditional internet infrastructure is lacking.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space LEO satellites can provide real-time data to support various aspects of smart city initiatives, such as traffic management, public safety, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure management. By offering reliable and high-speed connectivity, our satellites help cities operate more efficiently and sustainably, enhancing the quality of urban living.
Q&A format addresses key aspects of WISeSat.Space’s capabilities, expansion plans, and the benefits for various sectors. It is designed to inform and clarify the potential advantages for a client considering acquiring a WISeSat solution.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat benefits from WISeKey’s extensive experience in cybersecurity by integrating advanced cryptographic protocols into its communication infrastructure. WISeKey’s established Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Cryptographic Root of Trust ensure secure and authenticated data exchange between the satellites and ground stations. This foundation provides robust end-to-end encryption, data integrity, and verification processes, ensuring that all IoT data transmitted via WISeSat.Space remains protected against interception or tampering.
Sales Engineer: The Cryptographic Root of Trust (RoT) is a security foundation that forms the core of WISeKey’s security offerings. For WISeSat.Space, the RoT enables the generation, storage, and management of cryptographic keys in a secure environment. By embedding the RoT into the hardware of our satellites, we ensure that each device in the satellite constellation has a unique and immutable identity. This allows for secure communication, remote authentication, and the establishment of trust in the data exchanged across the satellite network.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space employs a multi-layered security approach using WISeKey’s encryption technologies to protect data both in transit and at rest. During transmission, data is encrypted using advanced cryptographic algorithms, including post-quantum cryptography to safeguard against future quantum threats. Onboard the satellites and ground stations, data is stored in encrypted formats with access restricted by secure authentication mechanisms. Additionally, WISeSat utilizes WISeKey’s digital signatures and PKI to ensure data integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space integrates post-quantum cryptographic solutions developed by SEALSQ, WISeKey’s semiconductor subsidiary. These cryptographic algorithms are designed to withstand the computational power of quantum computers, which could potentially break traditional encryption methods. By incorporating these post-quantum algorithms into our satellite hardware, we proactively secure satellite communication channels and IoT data against future quantum attacks, ensuring long-term data protection.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space relies on WISeKey’s established Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to manage digital certificates that authenticate devices and users within the satellite network. Each satellite and IoT device is assigned a unique digital certificate, serving as its identity proof. During data exchange, mutual authentication processes validate these certificates, ensuring that only authorized entities can access and communicate through the WISeSat.Space network. This PKI-based authentication mechanism prevents unauthorized devices from intercepting or injecting malicious data into the network.
Sales Engineer: WISeKey’s Secure Elements are hardware-based security modules embedded in IoT devices connected to the WISeSat network. These modules provide a secure environment for cryptographic operations, such as key generation and encryption. By integrating these Secure Elements, we ensure that IoT devices connected to WISeSat.Space are protected against various cyber threats, including cloning, data theft, and unauthorized access. Additionally, these Secure Elements support the Root of Trust, allowing secure boot processes, firmware integrity checks, and secure data storage.
Sales Engineer: To ensure the integrity and authenticity of firmware updates, WISeSat.Space employs a secure update mechanism based on WISeKey’s PKI. Firmware updates are digitally signed using WISeKey’s cryptographic keys before being sent to the satellites. Upon receiving the update, the satellite verifies the digital signature using the Root of Trust, confirming that the update is from a legitimate source and has not been tampered with during transmission. Only validated updates are applied, preventing unauthorized or malicious code from compromising the satellite’s operations.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space utilizes WISeKey’s Key Management Services (KMS) to securely generate, distribute, and manage cryptographic keys for IoT devices operating within its network. This system ensures that every device in the field receives unique, cryptographically secure keys for data encryption and authentication. The keys are stored in WISeKey’s Secure Elements within the IoT devices, safeguarding them from unauthorized extraction or misuse. Furthermore, the KMS supports key rotation and revocation, allowing for the timely update of keys in response to potential security incidents.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat.Space uses end-to-end encryption for all data transmitted between satellites, ground stations, and connected IoT devices. The data packets are encrypted using strong cryptographic algorithms, including those resistant to quantum computing attacks. Additionally, WISeKey’s PKI infrastructure enables the use of digital certificates to authenticate communication channels, ensuring that data is only exchanged with verified and trusted entities. This dual-layered approach of encryption and authentication effectively prevents interception, spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks in satellite communication.
These technical Q&A additions address how WISeSat benefits from WISeKey’s cybersecurity measures, focusing on encryption, PKI, secure elements, and quantum-resilient technologies, offering clients a comprehensive understanding of the security features integrated into the WISeSat.Space network.
Sales Engineer: WISeSat is collaborating with the Swiss Army to provide secure satellite communication solutions that enhance the Army’s operational capabilities. This cooperation focuses on utilizing WISeSat’s low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to facilitate secure, real-time data transmission and communication, especially in remote or challenging environments where traditional communication infrastructure may not be available.
By leveraging WISeKey’s advanced cybersecurity technologies, including its Cryptographic Root of Trust and post-quantum cryptography, we provide the Swiss Army with highly secure communication channels. This ensures that sensitive military data is protected against cyber threats, interception, and unauthorized access. Furthermore, the Swiss Army benefits from WISeSat’s low-latency network, which is critical for defense operations, tactical decision-making, and real-time surveillance and reconnaissance missions. This partnership highlights WISeSat’s capability to meet stringent military-grade security requirements and demonstrates the adaptability of our satellite communication solutions to various defense and national security needs.
