Security and resilience at GSAW 2018

From 26 February to 1 March Los Angeles hosted the Ground System Architectures Workshop 2018 (GSAW). This is the 22nd GSAW, which, since its start, back in 1997, has become a benchmark forum for experts in ground systems for space services.

GSAW 2018 dealt with various aspects of satellite service ground systems, such as the CCSDS Mission Operations Service, cloud computing, cybersecurity and Model-Based Engineering (MBE). Ground systems are nowadays evolving from individual structures into infrastructure that is interdependent with other systems, so this workshop revolved around companies’ resilience to threats posed by this new environment, with structures that are increasingly innovative, advanced and interconnected.

This event has by now built up great renown within the sector; witness the numbers of visitors who flock there year after year. As in past workshops GMV took a very active part throughout the whole four days. Pride of place goes to its paper Ethereal Ground Segment presented in the Cloud Based Systems session; it also collaborated in the Agile Working Group talking about its experience in ground-segment resilience and in the session looking into the pros and cons of the Agile methodology in a sector like satellite control centers.

A new feature in this year’s GSAW was an exhibition zone, where GMV’s product demos were keenly watched and received.

This yearly event came into being on the initiative of the Aerospace Corporation, a not-for-profit association set up back in the 1960s. Its remit is to encourage the creation of an open system architecture for the ground system of any satellite service. By now it has become a flagship event for all sector users.