Scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 13, 2022, quub’s pocketqube smallsat will serve as a proof of concept for the prevention of data hacks.
Data breaches cost millions of dollars every year. IBM’s annual Data Breach Report indicates that the average worldwide cost per breach in 2020 was $3.86 million. In the U.S., the average cost per breach was $8.64 million.
IBM cites Internet-of-things (IoT) devices and third-party breaches as among several key cost-amplifying factors. As IoT devices become ubiquitous the electronic transmission of sensitive data must keep pace.
Designed for Cybersecurity
The quub satellite launching with SpaceX on January 13 (named Challenger in honor of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew of 1986) is designed to help avoid the risk of electronic eavesdropping and data interception for IoT devices.
In contrast to Earth-bound data relays, in which hackers position themselves between network nodes, space-based transmissions cannot be altered while in transit.
Designed for Sustainability
There is growing concern with the amount of space debris in orbit around Earth, which range from paint flecks to inactive satellites. Space debris poses safety risks to humans and infrastructure in orbit. To address that concern, Challenger and other quub satellites are designed to burn up completely upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere at the end of a five-year lifespan.
Not only does this approach minimize space debris, but destruction upon reentry ensures that any sensitive data or components on the satellites themselves cannot be recovered by those with malicious intent.
Designed for Affordability
Payload mass is a major factor in the cost of launch. As a 3P PocketQube weighing only 750 grams at liftoff, miniature satellites like Challenger broaden access to space through affordable launch capabilities.
quub satellites may be small and lightweight, but they are also robust. “I can just about stand on them,” Latrell said. For the structural components, quub has partnered with ISOcertified (ISO 9001:2015) 3D printing manufacturer CRP Technology, based in Modena, Italy.
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