Ask Me Anything Panel - CyberSecurity and Enterprise Protection 

Lead NASA Organization: Science Mission Directorate 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Science Mission Directorate 

All robotic science projects and missions

Information Security for all small satellites 

Impact / Importance

Approximately 10,000 scientists funded

Approximately 100 small satellite projects 

Target Audience / Stakeholder

Small / Cube Satellite Community 

Challenges & Lessons Learned

1) Adding information security to small resource

limited platforms 

2) Tailoring existing requirements, capabilities, and

solutions 

Current Opportunities/Status 

Establishing a template for information security 

requirements, policies, and technical solutions 

Status: in progress 

Future Plans 

1) Establish (or enhance existing) official

documentation for the small satellite community at

NASA 

2) Explore technical and engineering solutions for small

platform information security solutions 

For more information contact 

Reynaldo.Anzaldua@nasa.gov 

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Ask Me Anything Panel – SmallSat Anomaly Reporting Tool National Aeronautics and 

Lead NASA Organization: NASA Science Mission Directorate and Small Space Administration 

Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) 

S3VI – Anomaly Reporting Tool

SmallSat anomaly alert reporting by NASA-funded

projects to occur when the anomaly is first noticed or

within 24 hours 

Impact / Importance

Centralized small spacecraft anomalies reporting

across each Center and Mission Directorate 

Target Audience / Stakeholder

Programs and projects across NASA mission

directorates (anyone with a NASA-funded SmallSat

project) NASA center representatives and Small

Spacecraft Working Group (SSWG) 

Challenges & Lessons Learned

Adoption by the SmallSat community and willingness 

to submit anomalies on a timely cadence 

Current Opportunities/Status 

Creates a centralized notification system to

complement other reporting systems and processes 

(only NASA staff have access to posted anomalies) 

Future Plans 

- Update the anomaly report template form to link

additional documentation after the initial submission. -

Center reps and SSWG reps to receive an email

notification when an anomaly has been submitted. 

- Data analysis will be performed on the anomalies 

collected to evaluate if there are any noticeable trends 

to be reported to the NASA SmallSat Community 

- Anomaly Alert Process kickoff on August 8. 

For more information contact: 

Craig Burkhard (Craig.D.Burkhard@nasa.gov) 

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Ask Me Anything Panel – Communications Licensing 

Lead NASA Organization: HQ/SOMD/SCaN – Spectrum Authorization 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

Communication Licensing Process

Requirement: All Projects (spaceflight, etc.)

transmitting in the radiofrequency spectrum regardless 

of operator (entity with “effective control”) shall obtain

authorization/licensing from the appropriate regulator: 

- NTIA for U.S. Federal (e.g., NASA) 

- FCC (U.S. non-Federal controlled system) 

- International: appropriate national regulator 

Impact: Requirement (law, regulation)

(license needed by turnover or integration on launch

vehicle – that is, well before launch!) 

Audience: All spaceflight missions (regardless of

spacecraft size) 

Challenges & Lessons Learned

1. Plan your operations before selecting a radio, service provider, or

frequency: spectrum use involves technical and operational limits 

(e.g., bandwidth constraints, power limits) so know what you need

to do first since that will help identify candidate bands,

communication solutions, etc. 

2. Start the process early: contact spectrum personnel, collect all 

needed data, conduct as much pre-coordination as possible then

file “complete” package (not helpful to file ”early” if don’t have all 

data or pre-coordinated) 

For more information: 

NASA Smallsat Spectrum Guidance (some process have been

updated since originally prepared)

Targets Program & Project managers and Systems & Sub-system

engineers; essentially a “how to” manual of spectrum processes 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/spectrum_

guidance_smallsats_cubesats_2015.pdf

NASA POC William D. Horne (william.horne@nasa.gov) 

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Ask Us Anything: 

CyberSecurity and Enterprise Protection

Anomaly Reporting

Spectrum Authorization 

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