North America Systems Software: What Could SpaceX‘s Success Mean for the Cyber Complex?

Research evidence excerpt

North America Systems Software: What Could SpaceX‘s Success Mean for the Cyber Complex?

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08 Jul 2026 10:35:01 ET │ 8 pages

North America Systems Software

What Could SpaceX’s Success Mean for the Cyber Complex?

CITI'S TAKE

SpaceX's ambitions around expanding broadband connectivity via

hardware and other physical operational technology (OT) form factors

across both civilian and defense networks/domains has got us ruminating

on cybersecurity implications. While the external/third-party commercial Fatima BoolaniAC

opportunity for cyber vendors doesn’t necessarily feel imminent or +1-212-816-9115

immediately obvious, we proffer that the company’s success in fatima.boolani@citi.com

democratizing access and speed of connectivity has potential to

Mark Zhang invigorate IoT/IIoT/OT security priorities for its downstream

economically-sensitive-skewing customers, as non-traditional +1-212-816-2267

mark1.zhang@citi.com connected-device volumes look poised to expand, and with it compound

pre-existing supply chain risks (IT-to-OT, OT-to-IT). Alongside open- Joel Omino

source and commercial LLMs showcasing ever-increasing proficiency in +1-212-519-9383

identifying staggering volumes of novel/previously-undiscovered joel.omino@citi.com

exploitable vulnerabilities (particularly pernicious in a geopolitical

context), we make the case that OT cyber focus (itself a relatively under-

invested niche) could enjoy renewed importance and which should benefit

independent, “assurance-layer” vendors.

More non-traditional connected devices = more diffuse/arcane attack surface to

defend: In the OT context, we see SpaceX’s success as a potential catalyst for more

meaningful volume growth in non-traditional connected devices (think more