Space Jam: Exploring Radio Frequency Attacks in Outer Space
Dr. James Pavur investigates physical and protocol-level RF vulnerabilities in satellite constellations, demonstrating jamming, spoofing, and eavesdropping risks.
Summary
The Fragile Radio Dependency of Space Systems
Every satellite mission—from low-Earth orbit broadband constellations to geostationary communications—relies on long-distance, unshielded RF links.
Analyzing Satellite Uplink, Downlink, & Inter-Satellite Links
Dr. James Pavur breaks down the RF architectures of modern satellites, assessing vulnerabilities to ground-based jamming, signal interception, and spoofing.
Simulating Real-World Electronic Attacks on Orbiting Payloads
Pavur demonstrates how low-power transmitters on the Earth's surface can degrade satellite receivers and hijack unauthenticated telemetry channels.
Architecting Resilient Space Communications
The presentation provides aerospace engineers with concrete cryptographic hardening patterns, beam-steering mitigations, and protocol integrity standards.
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