At SmallSat Symposium 2026, VORAGO Technologies announced a software partnership with embedded security specialist wolfSSL, aimed at integrating radiation-hardened semiconductor technology with standards-based cryptographic protection for next-generation space systems.
The collaboration brings together VORAGO’s radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant microcontrollers with wolfSSL’s embedded cryptography solutions, positioning the combined offering to address growing cybersecurity and reliability demands across low-Earth orbit (LEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary orbit (GEO) missions.
During the event, the companies hosted a joint workshop focused on cyber and radiation resilience in orbit, including a live demonstration of wolfBoot secure boot running on VORAGO’s U.S. government-qualified VA41630 microcontroller.
The partnership comes at a time when the space sector is transitioning from isolated, high-value missions to scaled constellations comprising hundreds or thousands of satellites. As investment accelerates across commercial and national security programs, expectations around long-term reliability and cybersecurity are evolving.
“Space systems are no longer isolated assets designed one at a time,” said Bernd Lienhard, CEO of VORAGO Technologies. “When deploying fleets that may operate for a decade or more, reliability and security stop being separate conversations. Resilient hardware and trusted cryptography must be engineered together.”
VORAGO’s VA4 family of microcontrollers, built on Arm Cortex-M4 cores layered with its proprietary HARDSIL radiation-protection technology, are designed to withstand harsh orbital environments. Through the partnership, these devices are integrated with wolfBoot secure bootloader and wolfCrypt encryption engine to provide a hardware-rooted chain of trust, firmware authentication, and secure Over-the-Air (OTA) update capability.
As satellite constellations scale, vulnerabilities, whether caused by radiation-induced faults or compromised communications, can propagate rapidly across fleets. The companies say aligning resilient silicon with adaptable cryptographic protections is critical to mitigating systemic risk.
Todd Ouska, Chief Technology Officer at wolfSSL, noted that long mission lifespans introduce additional complexity. “When cryptography is replicated across an entire constellation, practices acceptable for a single spacecraft can become systemic risks,” he said. wolfSSL’s embedded cryptography includes support for FIPS-certified implementations and long-term validation, enabling updates to security protocols without hardware replacement.
With satellite missions increasingly designed for 10 to 15 years of operation, secure boot, encryption integrity, and update flexibility are viewed as essential for adapting to evolving threat models over time.
Beyond mission assurance, the companies emphasize broader infrastructure integrity. By embedding both radiation tolerance and cryptographic security at the silicon level, the partnership aims to reduce preventable satellite failures, a factor that can contribute to orbital debris and operational disruptions.
