RESTON, VA – October 27, 2026 -- The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded SpiderOak a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to deliver the first zero-trust security architecture deployed in orbit, according to the company.
The award covers a High-Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor (HAIPE) enhanced with microsegmentation. It will run across the on-orbit "red" networks of SDA's Network Established Beyond the Upper Limits of the Atmosphere (NEBULA), part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). Contract value and delivery timelines were not disclosed.
Decentralized authentication moves to the satellite edge
The program brings decentralized identity-based authentication and authorization to orbit. Policy decisions and enforcement happen locally at the edge, an approach intended to keep networks available in contested environments.
Russell Teehan, Technical Director at SDA, said decentralized security services and advanced data protections support mission success and resilient architectures across all domains.
Collins Aerospace's Apollo module supplies the encryption layer
SpiderOak selected Collins Aerospace's Apollo crypto module as the high-assurance encryption component. Apollo is a programmable module that applies flexible encryption functions to protect sensitive information at the tactical edge.
Paired with SpiderOak's microsegmentation and zero-trust software stack, the package lets mission system providers integrate cyber protections without additional hardware. The joint solution provides fine-grained segmentation of data flows, continuous verification of trust, and rapid containment of adversarial activity.
SpiderOak CEO Kip Gering said the combined offering supports the Department of War's zero-trust adoption goals for high-assurance, high-availability mission architectures operating in space or at the tactical edge. Ryan Bunge, vice president and general manager for C4I and Autonomy Solutions at Collins Aerospace, said the company's encryption protects network data at the tactical edge.
SpaceWERX SBIR channel funds the effort
The award was made under the SpaceWERX SBIR program, which links small businesses with Space Force units to accelerate innovation and commercialization.