WISeKey Quantum Security Space Roundtable for Orbital Trust
Quantum Security Space Davos Roundtable
At Davos' 2026 agenda, global leaders focused on space's mounting concerns rather than the economy.WISeKey International Holding Ltd. held a high-level Quantum Security Space Roundtable with defense, space, and cybersecurity professionals on 30 January 2026.. The agreement was clear: global space infrastructure needs post-quantum technology.
Space Systems Impending Vulnerability
The roundtable was driven by quantum computing's rapid growth, which threatens RSA and ECC. Vulnerabilities threaten satellite communications, command-and-control linkages, and important space data.
Davos participants say post-quantum space security must prioritize quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC) for long-term resilience. Satellites cannot be retrofitted, thus quantum-ready designs must be included from the outset.
Innovative Technology: KEMs and Hardware Trust
Many post-quantum security traits were identified to mitigate these concerns. Hybrid cryptography methods like Triple Key Encapsulation are fascinating. These hybrid methods protect satellite-ground station communications using PQC and normal elliptic-curve encryption during the classical-quantum computing transition.
It also emphasized hardware-anchored trust. For reliable identities and tamper-resistant processes, modern space systems use quantum-resistant semiconductors. PQC must be tuned to severe processing power, bandwidth, and latency constraints, making space implementation problematic.
On Defense and Strategy
The Swiss Armed Forces' Head of Space Command, Colonel Ludovic Monnerat, questioned the strategic importance of orbital assets for national security. He said secure command-and-control and quantum-resilient identities are essential for protecting sovereign assets in contentious situations. Benjamin Guyot, CEO of SpaceTalk, called secure satellite communication the “critical infrastructure” for space traffic coordination.
Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12, addressed industrial implications by saying satellite security must start with hardware and payload security. According to Mohammed Aboul-Magd of SandboxAQ, PQC must be built today to secure data that will still be in transit when quantum computers mature because space systems may last decades.
Increasing Commercial Space Economy
Group considered new commercial industries. Axiom Space President Jonathan Cirtain discussed human and commercial space station security. The space economy and in-orbit services need post-quantum protection, he said.
Strangely, the subject went to the “circular space economy.” Luc Piguet, CEO of ClearSpace, says active debris removal and in-orbit servicing will make the difference between a functioning satellite and a danger software-defined. Therefore, only authorized and secure systems can ensure safety in a crowded orbit. According to ID Quantique CEO Grégoire Ribordy, QKD and PQC should be used together in this search.
WISEKey Roadmap and Subsidiary Ecosystem
WISeKey's specialty subsidiaries are leading this transformation as a global cybersecurity and IoT provider. The company reported numerous major achievements:
Late-2025, WiseSat.Space started satellite PQC PoC testing. Fully functional WISeSat PQC will launch in Q2 2026. SEALSQ Corp. makes post-quantum technology and semiconductors. For secure IoT applications, WISeKey SA and WISeSat AG provide RoT and space-based communication protocols. WISeKey creator and CEO Carlos Moreira concluded the event that space is becoming the “backbone of our digital and geopolitical infrastructure”. In the quantum age, hardware-anchored trust and cryptographic agility are essential for sovereignty and mission success.
Predicting
Discussion ended with an appeal for worldwide collaboration. As NIST speeds up PQC algorithm standardization, industry leaders must focus on capacity building and specialized training for space and defense workforce. María Pía Aqueveque Jabbaz describes the shift from "connectivity layer" to "trust and market layer," where auditable access and interoperability will determine the next decade's winners. Time is running out to define space's future, Davos 2026 attendees heard.
