Aerospace and Non-Terrestrial Systems Solutions
The Aerospace and Non-Terrestrial Systems Solutions Work Group (AERO-SWG) is proposed to examine how TCG technologies apply to satellites, aviation platforms, drones, non-terrestrial networks, and aerospace edge systems. A satellite or UAV, for example, may need to establish identity, assess platform measurements, receive a firmware update, and recover from failure while a ground-based verifier or provisioning service is unreachable. AERO-SWG documents these operating constraints and develops use cases and guidance for applying TPM, DICE, attestation, Platform Certificates, and cyber resilience. It brings identified gaps and proposed improvements to the TCG Work Groups responsible for those technologies.
Related TCG work groups that collaborate with AERO-SWG
Trusted Platform Module WG — considers use cases involving protected keys, device identity, and TPM-based measurements in remote or intermittently connected systems.
DICE WG — considers layered identity and attestation for constrained onboard devices and components.
Attestation WG — considers evidence collection, freshness, verification, and trust decisions when communication with a Verifier is delayed.
Cyber Resilient Technologies WG — considers protection, detection, update, and recovery needs for systems that cannot depend on immediate ground intervention.
Infrastructure WG — considers trust relationships among onboard systems, satellite gateways, ground stations, operators, and enterprise services.
Core focus areas
- Device and component identity across aerospace and non-terrestrial systems.
- Boot measurement, platform-state evidence, and attestation.
- Trust decisions when verifier access is delayed or unavailable.
- Key provisioning, rotation, and recovery under intermittent connectivity.
- Integrity and recovery of firmware and software updates.
- Supply-chain provenance and lifecycle trust for distributed systems.
- Trust continuity across gateways, ground stations, and multiple operators.
Typical use cases
- A drone swarm evaluates member-device evidence locally while disconnected from a central Verifier.
- A satellite or onboard component is provisioned without continuous access to PKI services.
- A firmware update is delivered in fragments, validated onboard, and activated under local policy.
- Attestation evidence is stored and forwarded over a high-latency satellite link for later appraisal.
- A ground station or gateway establishes its trust relationship with onboard systems and terrestrial services.
- A device retains identity and policy continuity while moving between satellite providers or network paths.
- An aerospace system detects a failed update and recovers without immediate ground intervention.
Primary work products
- Aerospace and non-terrestrial trusted computing use cases and problem statements.
- Gap analyses for existing TCG specifications.
- Informative deployment considerations and reference architectures.
- Guidance on evidence freshness, disconnected operation, and lifecycle trust.
- Recommendations submitted to the TCG Work Groups that own the relevant specifications.
- Coordination with external aerospace and communications organizations on topics within TCG’s trusted computing scope.
Reference source
TCG Aerospace and Non-Terrestrial Systems Solutions Work Group Charter, draft v0.5, May 14, 2026.
Explore other Work Groups
Network Equipment Work Group is focused on requirements and use cases, and is providing security best practices, recommendations and specifications.
Provides definitions, specifications, guidelines, and technical requirements as they pertain to the implementation of TCG technology in servers.
The IoT Sub Group provides guidance on how Trusted Computing can be used for securing IoT.
Software specification that provides a standard API for accessing the functions of the TPM.
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