NATO funds project for space-based internet as backup to vulnerable undersea cables, ensuring connectivity during disasters, independent of private control.
NATO Is Developing A Combined Space-Connected Internet System For Potential Disasters.
It can be difficult to conceive while participating in a video conference or reading articles on your preferred popular science digital publication, yet that information has very likely arrived at your device through an expansive network of underwater cables.
These fiber-optic cables, typically possessing a diameter similar to that of a sausage, utilize light to transmit significant volumes of data across considerable distances with minimal data loss. The cables physically connect every continent on Earth (excluding the unusual continent, Antarctica) and transmit over 95 percent of the world’s information.
When operational, they are notably rapid and efficient – but these vital connections are increasingly susceptible to attacks, incidents, and other mishaps. It is estimated that between 100 and 150 cables are severed annually, predominantly due to accidents involving maritime equipment or anchors being dragged along the seabed.
There is also the escalating possibility of intentional damage. In November 2024, two submarine internet cables were cut in Europe's Baltic Sea. While European governments refrained from directly accusing any specific nation, they suggested that the incidents might constitute components of "hybrid attacks" by Russia on European undersea infrastructure in retaliation for their support of Ukraine. Russian authorities dismissed the allegations as “entirely illogical."
Regardless of the precise circumstances of the events in the Baltic Sea last year, the incident underscores the vulnerability of subsea cables to both accidental occurrences and deliberate attacks.
.jpg "NATO's Hybrid Space-Linked Internet System for Disaster Recovery.")
To guarantee the maintenance of dependable internet connections in an increasingly precarious global environment, NATO is funding a novel project to redirect data via space as a protective measure against interruptions to essential infrastructure.
“Consider Iceland. Iceland possesses a substantial amount of financial services and cloud computing resources, and it is linked to Europe and North America by four cables. If those four cables are destroyed or compromised, Iceland becomes completely isolated from the global network,” Nicolò Boschetti, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University involved in the project, explained to IEEE Spectrum.
Designated as the Hybrid Space/Submarine Architecture Ensuring Infosec of Telecommunications (HEIST) consortium, the project endeavors to establish a more secure internet system utilizing a combined network of submarine cables and satellite communications.
An alternative option already exists: Starlink, the satellite internet service created by SpaceX, which presently delivers a considerable volume of space-based internet traffic. However, this is not without its complications. Elon Musk offered the use of Starlink to Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion, where it has been employed for the coordination of drone strikes and communication.
Some have questioned the appropriateness of a single individual (irrespective of public sentiment towards them) wielding such substantial influence over international affairs. With HEIST, NATO governments aim to establish a secure and autonomous backup, not reliant on the decisions of a lone billionaire.
The project is currently being developed by an international and interdisciplinary team comprising members from Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Bifröst University, Swedish Defence University, Blekinge Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, the Royal Swedish Navy, the Icelandic government, and various private enterprises.
If everything progresses as planned, a functioning prototype of the system could be ready within two years, although certain members of the HEIST team hope to commence testing elements of the program in 2025.
“We are assembling the components of the puzzle and attempting to construct this expansive new ecosystem,” Greg Falco, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell Engineering, stated to the Cornell Chronicle.
“I would characterize this as a 100% systems engineering challenge, implying that none of the technology we intend to build or assemble is entirely novel and has, in some form, been conceived for other applications. This is about integrating all the components. From an engineering perspective, it is demanding, but additionally, there are the regulatory, political, and economic aspects, which are also complex,” Falco added.