Swiss company EnsoLab launched SkyBridge, a mission to test next-generation secure communications in space.

SkyBridge is part of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-16 mission launching today (March 30) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and will operate in low-Earth orbit (LEO) with the aim of evaluating quantum-safe cryptographic encryptions.

The tests will also look to assess how EnsoLab’s encryption methods adapt over time and whether they can perform reliably on commercial hardware under the operational conditions of being in orbit.

“This mission uses advanced computing systems to make communication in space more secure”, Andrea Guerrieri, head of the Adaptive Heterogeneous Systems Lab at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland and technical lead within EnsoLab’s sovereign R&D core, explained. “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.”

The fears that ever-encroaching quantum computers will cause security havoc when they come to fruition – around 2029, according to recent Google predictions – and the need for security via post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has become increasingly top of mind.

EnsoLab is looking to take quantum-safe security to the next level, testing whether encryption can hold true in the hard conditions of space.

The ultimate goal of its SkyBridge mission is to determine whether this type of security architecture performs in a live environment and whether it can support future applications such as secure satellite-to-ground communications. That need comes as space-based communications is set to be the next frontier, with network operators looking beyond borders to provide connectivity.

SkyBridge will go through an initial operations phase lasting around two to three weeks, with broader results expected over time. The results will then be used to support further development of the Swiss firm’s technologies and early commercial activity.

“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,” EnsoLab Principal Advisor Oliver Michael Meyer added. “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.”