When humanity speaks across the vacuum of space, whether between a flight director on the ground and an astronaut on an orbital station, or between two ground stations relayed by a satellite constellation, the integrity of those words is no longer a matter of engineering alone. It is a matter of cryptography. With cryptographically relevant quantum computing now firmly on the policy horizon, the algorithms protecting today’s space communications are on a countdown clock. The U.S. government has set 2035 as a hard deadline for all national security systems to complete migration to post quantum standards under NIST IR 8547, and industry analysts at Gartner estimate that a quantum computer capable of breaking RSA 2048 could arrive as early as 2030. COSMOS-SECURE, a new four year European research and development project coordinated by Decent Cybersecurity, has been designed to answer exactly that challenge.
The project, formally titled “Bezpečná komunikácia vo vesmírnom výskume” or in English “Secure Communication in Space Research”, represents one of the most strategically forward looking investments the European Union has made into Slovak deep tech in recent years. With total eligible costs of €4,144,273.37 and a requested EU contribution of €2,981,048.65, COSMOS-SECURE will run from January 2026 through December 2029 under project code NFP401101C907 and is co financed by the European Union through Program Slovensko 2021 to 2027 and the European Regional Development Fund. The project was selected under the call PSK-MSVVM-021-2024-DV-EFRR SPACE, a dedicated track for advanced research with strategic relevance to the space sector.
The Mission: Quantum Safe Voice for the Final Frontier
Voice communication remains a backbone of every crewed and uncrewed space mission. It carries operational commands, situational reports, life critical coordination between astronauts and ground control, and the authoritative human decision making layer that no machine has yet replaced. Yet, as the COSMOS-SECURE project page makes clear, the space communication environment is also uniquely hostile: signals are delayed, electromagnetic interference is pervasive, bandwidth is constrained, and there is no margin for failure.
Layered on top of these classical engineering pressures is a new and existential threat: the eventual arrival of quantum computers capable of breaking today’s public key cryptography. So called “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, formally characterised by a September 2025 U.S. Federal Reserve Board working paper as a present day risk posed by future state quantum computers to legacy computer networks, are particularly acute in space, where mission lifetimes routinely span ten to fifteen years and where intercepted ciphertext may sit in adversary archives long enough to outlive its underlying algorithms.
COSMOS-SECURE’s response is to build, validate and document a post quantum cryptographic stack purpose built for space voice communications. The project’s five core objectives, set out on the project objectives page, are: research into post quantum cryptographic algorithms tailored for space borne voice communication; investigation of optimal and efficient communication interfaces; compatibility with existing satellite and critical communication infrastructure; validation of selected approaches in laboratory and simulated space communication conditions; and preparation of knowledge, documentation and methodologies for further development and certification.
The work is structured into two complementary research activities. Z0HM01, led by Decent Cybersecurity, focuses on post quantum cryptographic algorithms for space voice. P1HM02, led by FREQUENTIS Solutions & Services, focuses on optimal communication interfaces. Both activities are targeted to reach Technology Readiness Level 4 by the project’s end.
Decent Cybersecurity: The Cryptographic Engine of the Consortium
As the consortium page confirms, Decent Cybersecurity is the applicant, coordinator, and scientific lead of COSMOS-SECURE. The Piešťany headquartered company, registered with the European Space Agency and holding industrial security clearances from the Slovak National Security Authority, the EU and NATO at the level of “Secret”, has built its reputation on an uncommon combination of expertise: post quantum cryptography, quantum resistant blockchain, secure systems engineering, and R&D for mission critical environments. The company is also ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified by TÜV SÜD.
In COSMOS-SECURE, Decent leads activity Z0HM01 and is responsible for analysis of the NIST standardised post quantum algorithms finalised on 13 August 2024 (FIPS 203 known as ML-KEM, FIPS 204 known as ML-DSA, and FIPS 205 known as SLH-DSA) and their suitability for the latency, bandwidth and reliability profile of space voice. Decent will also implement and test optimised cryptographic prototypes in simulated space communication environments, research quantum safe key distribution mechanisms, and prepare a certification methodology for post quantum cryptographic solutions in space applications.
The expected outputs include a post quantum cryptographic module for space voice, a research report on algorithm optimisation, and a reusable certification methodology. These deliverables translate directly into Decent’s growing product portfolio, including PQ-STRAT, CipherLayer and SecureSat Guardian.
A Proven European Track Record
COSMOS-SECURE does not arrive in a vacuum. It is the latest in a rapidly expanding catalogue of EU funded R&D engagements through which Decent has cemented its position as one of Europe’s most active SMEs in post quantum security.
AIDA is a €32 million European Defence Fund project on AI driven detection and response to advanced cyberattacks. PQ-REACT is a Horizon Europe project on post quantum cryptography implementations and migration paths, with a consortium volume of approximately €6 million as listed on Decent’s R&D portfolio page; Decent’s CRISP-Q subproject implemented ML-KEM 512, 768 and 1024. U-HARRIER is a €4 million EDF 2025 research action on a 300 kg cyber resilient heavy lift military UAV, where Decent Cybersecurity Ireland leads post quantum cryptography and AI cyber resilience. Decent also leads an FPGA based reconfigurable post quantum cryptographic platform for defence and aerospace, co funded through Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience programme, and was selected in the 3rd Open Call of a European 6G project to integrate NIST post quantum standards into next generation networks.
This portfolio establishes Decent as a serial executor of complex, multi partner European research and a credible scientific lead, not merely a contributor, for COSMOS-SECURE.
A Strong Partnership With FREQUENTIS
Decent’s coordination is paired with the deep mission critical communications expertise of FREQUENTIS Solutions & Services, part of the Frequentis group, acknowledged on its own corporate site as the number one supplier for ATM safety critical communication systems globally since 1948, with around 30% global market share in voice communication systems for air traffic control and group revenues of €580 million in 2025. Under work package P1HM02, FREQUENTIS will research adaptive, AI supported communication interfaces including RF, optical and laser, satellite and hybrid models, and will test prototypes in simulated environments that reflect real world space operational scenarios. The pairing of Decent’s cryptographic backbone with FREQUENTIS’s communications and validation know how is a textbook example of complementary consortium design.
Strategic Significance: EU Sovereignty, IRIS² and the Post Quantum Transition
COSMOS-SECURE aligns with the EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence (JOIN(2023) 9 final), which explicitly identifies cyber attacks against space systems, ground infrastructure and data links as a primary counter space threat vector. It also feeds directly into the long term security roadmap of IRIS², the EU’s third flagship space programme, established by Regulation (EU) 2023/588, whose 290 satellite multi orbit constellation, backed by an EU contribution of €2.4 billion within a €10.6 billion total concession signed with the SpaceRISE consortium in December 2024, will deliver sovereign, resilient, government grade connectivity to the Union and its Member States. The European Commission describes IRIS² as a programme that underpins Europe’s strategic autonomy and technological leadership.
As Decent Cybersecurity founder and CEO Matej Michalko has put it: “A quantum revolution is underway, and we must be prepared to adapt critical infrastructure in Slovakia as soon as possible. The immediate deployment of NIST post quantum cryptographic standards is a strategic matter to support our national security and economic stability.”
With COSMOS-SECURE, Slovakia, and Europe, gains a dedicated R&D vehicle to convert that strategic ambition into validated, certifiable technology. For Decent Cybersecurity, the project is both a recognition and a responsibility: a recognition of years of investment in post quantum and space cybersecurity, and a responsibility to deliver, by December 2029, a quantum safe voice communication capability that Europe can confidently fly.
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