EnsoLab, a Swiss company focused on advanced security technologies today announced the launch of SkyBridge, a mission designed to test next-generation secure communications technology in space.
Image Credit: EnsoLab
SkyBridge is scheduled to launch on 30 March at 10:20 UTC (03:20 PDT / 12:20 CEST) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-16 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The mission will operate in Low Earth Orbit–an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less–and is part of EnsoLab’s effort to move its technology out of the lab into real-world conditions.
SkyBridge will test EnsoLab’s secure communications and its reliability in space. This includes evaluating new forms of cryptographic encryption designed to remain secure in the future, even with advances like quantum computing.
It will also test how those methods adapt over time and continue to perform reliably on commercial hardware under real operational conditions in orbit, an environment EnsoLab Tech AG founder Masood Shaikh Mohammed describes as “one of the most demanding environments a hardware system can face”.
Oliver Michael Meyer, Principal Advisor to EnsoLab said "In security-critical environments, trust is built over time. It comes from being careful, being clear, and showing that systems work when they are put under real pressure. That is the approach EnsoLab has taken. Its work is based on long-term research and a focus on how whole systems behave, rather than quick fixes or single solutions. Crucially, it is being tested in real-world conditions, not just in theory.
At a time when much of the conversation around post-quantum security remains abstract, that focus on real testing and measured progress gives a more concrete sense of what works, and what can be trusted”.
The goal is to understand how this type of security architecture performs in a live environment, and whether it can support future applications such as secure satellite-to-ground communications.
The program is relevant for organizations that rely on secure and resilient communications, including defence, government, satellite operators, and critical infrastructure providers. Many of these sectors are preparing for the shift to post-quantum security and need to understand how new approaches perform in practice.
“This mission uses advanced computing systems to make communication in space more secure”, said Prof. Andrea Guerrieri, Head of the Adaptive Heterogeneous Systems Lab at HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland) and technical lead within EnsoLab’s sovereign R&D core. “The technology we have developed for SkyBridge creates a new way for space systems to communicate safely, adapt to changes, and perform, even in a future where current encryption methods may no longer be secure.”
SkyBridge is a validation mission. After launch, it will first go through an initial operations phase lasting around two to three weeks, with early data emerging first and broader results expected over time.
The mission is supported by partners including SpaceX, DPhi Space, and Momentus, and is connected to research work with HES-SO Valais-Wallis School of Engineering in Switzerland.
Following the mission, EnsoLab plans to use the results to support further development, partnerships, and early commercial activity.