Check Point Software supports Rakia mission to space
Check Point Software is supporting the Rakia Israeli space mission by hosting communication to the specialised control centre.
The control centre will be located at its headquarters in Tel Aviv, where it will also accommodate a visitor centre.
On April 8th, Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe is scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He will conduct 35 experiments, ranging from research in food and agriculture, medical testing, the impact of microgravity on plastic degradation, experiments with transient luminous events, and more. The mission is planned to last 8 to 10 days.
A Rakia Mission Centre has been built at the Check Point Software offices in Tel Aviv as part of the undertaking. This includes a control room from which scientists, artists and educators can monitor the activities of Eytan Stibbe and will allow them to make necessary changes to experiments in real-time while also conducting a direct dialogue with the control room of the ISS in the United States.
"In recent years, civilian companies have spent billions of dollars trying to create an 'easy' path into space, which has created new technologies but new challenges for cybersecurity," says Check Point Software head of Product Vulnerabilities Research Oded Vanunu.
"With a huge amount of communication and data between spacecraft and Earth, every phase of the Rakia mission needs to be protected. We're proud to secure these vital communications between the space station and our control centre on Earth."
The mission will enable Israeli entrepreneurs and researchers to advance innovative ideas. It will allow them to test their enterprises in a unique study environment, thereby contributing to international and Israeli research industries. The visitor centre, hosted by Check Point, will make the Rakia Mission Centre accessible to thousands of students. It will allow them to experience the human journey into space through interactive elements and inspiring educational activities.
The centre is divided into five complexes, each representing a different aspect of the mission:
- The International Space Station Complex
- The "Rakia" Mission Complex
- The Scientific Experiments Complex
- The Life in the International Space Station Complex
- The Inspirational "There is no dream too far away" Complex
Visitors can experience a visualisation of the Crisper experiment from Tel Aviv University and the Volcanic Institute, which will test the genetic diagnosis of viruses and bacteria in space missions under microgravity conditions.
A remote medical experiment will also be simulated, stress detection and monitoring of the well-being of remote astronauts, by Sheba Medical Centre, which recognises the development of emotional distress and stressful situations through an app. The app will analyse the emotional state of visitors, just like that of astronauts on the space station.
There is also a "No Dream Too Far" area. A photography exhibit demonstrates the Coppola, aka the window that the astronauts observe Earth from the International Space Station.
