Cryptosat uses a SpaceX rocket to launch its second 'cryptographically-equipped' satellite


On January 3, with the launch of its second orbiting satellite, Crypto2, Cryptosat increased the number of its crypto-satellites in space. The device, which was equipped with cryptography, was sent into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9. In its first launch of the year, SpaceX placed 114 miniature satellites in polar orbit on behalf of 23 different operators.
SpaceX's partially reusable launch system for the Falcon 9 is capable of launching both commercial cargo and personnel into space. Software from Cryptosat was carried on the aircraft's inaugural flight in 2023, helping the company achieve its objective of launching a Trusted Execution Environment into orbit.
The Cryptosat-2 spacecraft, which recently entered orbit around the Earth, has 30 times more computing capacity than its forerunner, Crypto1, which was launched only 6 months earlier. The number of customers Cryptosat can service at once has dramatically increased with the launch of Crypto2.
Cryptosat Co-Founder Yonatan Winertraub said: “The launch of Crypto2 is a milestone toward infrastructure expansion from a single satellite in 2022. The launch of Crypto2 gives us more availability and more powerful spec to support the growing portfolio of use cases in our development pipeline.”
An API tutorial with a simulated satellite trajectory was made available by Cryptosat in December. Developers can obtain a sense of how they can communicate with Cryptosat low earth orbit (LEO) satellites in space using the Cryptosim software.
A key component of cryptography is trusted setups, which demonstrate that the crucial startup phase was not tampered with. For instance, trusted setups bootstrap well-known SNARK systems, whose level of security depends on how they were designed. By removing the potential of a physical hack or network intrusion, a space-based trustworthy setup creates a new front in the fight for impenetrable cryptography.
Cryptosat can ensure that there hasn't been any outside interference with the computing environment before the satellite is placed into orbit by using its own, custom-built satellites. This offers a special guarantee that no one may interfere with the operations carried out aboard the satellite, not even nation-state actors.

Joyashree Dey
CBW - External Analyst
INDIA