Resilience and Integrated Security for Space & Critical Systems (RISC)
November 4-6, 2026
San Jose, CA
https://risc.ieee-cs.org/2026/
The IEEE Conference on Resilience and Integrated Security for Space &
Critical Systems (RISC) is the first IEEE conference dedicated to the
security and resilience of space systems and the critical
infrastructure that impacts or is impacted by space applications. RISC
brings together researchers, engineers, and policymakers working at
the frontier of space systems security and critical infrastructure
resilience. RISC grew out of the IEEE Workshop on Security and
Resiliency of Critical Infrastructure and Space Technologies
(SR-CIST), building on a community that recognizes space systems not
as passive infrastructure, but as active drivers of systems we depend
on. From satellite constellations, ground control security, to space
medicine, autonomous systems, and cross-domain threat propagation,
RISC fosters a research community dedicated to addressing the new
security and resilience challenges in space and space-dependent
applications. RISC is co-located with IEEE TPS, CIC, and CogMI and
will be held November 4-6, 2026 in San Jose, CA. (For more
Information, move to CFP)
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Call For Papers
https://risc.ieee-cs.org/2026/
IEEE RISC 2026 Call for Papers
Important dates:
Round 1 Submission Dates:
Time Zone Anywhere on Earth
Submission Deadline June 1, 2026
Notification of Acceptance Date July 25, 2026
Camera Ready Due August 15, 2026
Round 2 Submission Dates:
Time Zone Anywhere on Earth
Submission Deadline August 15, 2026
Notification of Acceptance Date September 20, 2026
Camera Ready Due September 30, 2026
Space technologies are no longer passive infrastructure; they are
active drivers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT). Through global connectivity, remote
sensing, and Earth observation, space systems now form the backbone of
critical terrestrial operations. The growing involvement of commercial
players and the democratization of space access are accelerating this
transformation at an unprecedented pace.
Space systems are increasingly embedded within critical cyber-physical
ecosystems, directly enabling and shaping autonomous transportation,
smart energy grids, water treatment plants, disaster response, global
communications, defense operations, space medicine, and deep-space
exploration. This deep integration means that the security and
resilience of space systems is no longer a niche concern. It is a
foundational requirement for societal continuity.
Yet the unique operational environment of space introduces distinct
and underexplored security challenges. Space systems depend on
complex, long-lifecycle software and hardware exposed to supply chain
manipulation, network-based intrusions, adversarial AI, electronic
warfare, and nation-state threats. As these systems become
increasingly intertwined with critical infrastructure on the ground,
in the air, and in orbit, the attack surface expands in ways that
existing security frameworks are not equipped to address.
RISC is the premier venue for security and resilience research where
space systems are the subject, the enabler, or a point of failure. We
welcome original submissions addressing the security and resilience of
space systems, space-related assets, cyber-physical integration,
supporting ground systems, and emerging threats across terrestrial and
non-terrestrial critical systems. RISC places particular emphasis on
high-consequence domains where space dependencies are least understood
and unprotected: autonomous transportation, smart energy grids, space
medicine, and deep-space human exploration. In these domains security
failure carries severe consequences.
Submission Guidelines
RISC welcomes submissions in the following categories:
Full Paper (8–10 pages)
Original research contributions with thorough evaluation and
analysis. Full papers are expected to present novel findings with
significant scientific or engineering contribution to the security
and resilience of space and critical systems.
Contributions can also be presenting novel datasets, testbeds, or
simulation platforms relevant to space systems security and
resilience. Accepted dataset papers must include a data
availability statement describing how the dataset will be accessed
or shared.
Poster (2-page abstract)
Work-in-progress, preliminary results, and student
research. Accepted posters will be presented during a dedicated
interactive session and included in the conference
proceedings. Posters are particularly encouraged for PhD students
at early stages of their research.
The papers should be submitted to their respective tracks in the
conference in EasyChair
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ieeerisc2026.
All submissions must be original, unpublished work not currently under
review elsewhere. Papers must follow the IEEE conference formatting
guidelines should be up to 10 pages, anonymously in the standard two
column IEEE proceedings format, including the bibliography,
appendices, and supplementary material. which can be found at IEEE
Manuscript Templates for Conference Proceedings
https://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html.
Authors should not change the font or the margins of the IEEE
format. Papers should avoid revealing authors' identity in the
text. When referring to their previous work, authors are required to
cite their papers in the third person, without identifying
themselves. All posters must include "Poster:" as a prefix to the
title of the submitted 2-page description.
Review Policy
IEEE Policy and professional ethics require that referees treat the
contents of papers under review as privileged information not to be
disclosed to others before publication. It is expected that no one
with access to a paper under review will make any inappropriate use of
the special knowledge, which that access provides. Contents of
abstracts submitted to conference program committees should be
regarded as privileged as well, and handled in the same manner. The
Conference Publications Chair shall ensure that referees adhere to
this practice.
Organizers of IEEE conferences are expected to provide an appropriate
forum for the oral presentation and discussion of all accepted
papers. An author, in offering a paper for presentation at an IEEE
conference, or accepting an invitation to present a paper, is expected
to be present at the meeting to deliver the paper. In the event that
circumstances unknown at the time of submission of a paper preclude
its presentation by an author, the program chair should be informed on
time, and appropriate substitute arrangements should be made. In some
cases it may help reduce no-shows for the Conference to require
advance registration together with the submission of the final
manuscript.
List of Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
o Space Systems Security and Resilience:
- Security and resilience of satellite constellations, orbital
infrastructure, and ground control systems across LEO, MEO,
and GEO
- Security and resilience of supporting ground systems
- Secure Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) protocols,
over-the-air updates, and anomaly/intrusion detection for
space assets
- AI/ML, trustworthy autonomy, and edge AI security for space
operations and cyber defense
- Secure hardware, firmware, and supply chain assurance for space systems
o Communications and Cryptography:
- Post-quantum cryptography and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
for space-to-ground and inter-satellite links
- Spoofing, jamming, and anti-interference for space-based
navigation and communications
- Secure software-defined networking for space systems
o Cyber-Physical Integration and Critical Infrastructure:
- Secure integration of space systems with terrestrial
cyber-physical, IIoT, and cross-layer infrastructures
- Security and resilience of space-dependent transportation,
energy, water, and autonomous systems
- Digital twins for space infrastructure modeling and resilience
assessment
o Adversarial Threats:
- Cyber threats targeting space assets
- Threat modeling, adversarial AI, and offensive security in
space cyber conflict
o High-Consequence Applications Policy & Governance:
- Security and resilience for space medicine, deep-space
exploration, and disaster response
- Policy, standards, and regulatory frameworks for space
cybersecurity and resilience
o Emerging and Special Topics
- Resilient Space Medicine:
As space missions transition from Earth-reliant to
Earth-independent, the resilience of onboard medical and
biological systems becomes a primary security concern. To address
this, we seek papers on the engineering of autonomous medical
architectures that can withstand the "new normal" of deep space
environments.
- Security of the "Internet of Medical Things" (IoMT)
- Radiation-Resilient Computing for In Situ Analytics
- Self-Driving Labs & Biological Automation
- Explainable AI (xAI) for Clinical Autonomy
- Cyber-Biosecurity & Genomic Privacy.
Awards
IEEE RISC will feature a Best Paper award and a Best Student Paper
award (to be selected by the program committee/best paper award
team). A paper is eligible for the Best Student Paper award if the
first author is a full-time student at the time of submission. A
partial travel grant or cash award may be offered to the winner
student depending on fund availability.
Camera-Ready Instructions
Congratulations on your paper's acceptance! Please follow these
instructions carefully to prepare and submit your camera-ready
version. All submissions must be made through the IEEE Conference
Publishing Services (CPS) Author Kit system, which ensures compliance
with formatting and publication standards.
Submission Process
Use the IEEE CPS Author Kit submission site,
https://ieeecps.org/cps/v2/auth/login?ak=1&pid=3wbtMW1QWKEZkg8CUWJjVB
to complete the following steps in order:
Register or Log In: If you do not have an IEEE CPS account, create
one before proceeding. This is required to access the Author Kit.
Enter Paper Metadata: Input your paper's details (Use your
EasyChair paper ID as the reference ID if prompted).
Format and Verify Your Paper: Prepare your manuscript using the
provided templates and guidelines of the system. Ensure it meets
all formatting requirements, such as IEEE conference style, page
limits.
Submit Copyright: Complete the electronic copyright transfer form
as required by IEEE CPS. This is a mandatory step for publication.
Upload Final Paper: Submit the verified PDF of your camera-ready manuscript.
Important Notes
Deadline: Adhere strictly to the camera-ready submission deadline.
Guidelines and Resources: Follow all instructions on the IEEE CPS
Author Kit page meticulously.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid: Do not add new content, authors, or
affiliations after acceptance without prior approval from program
chairs; ensure that your PDF is generated correctly (e.g., no
watermarks or annotations).
Support: If you encounter any issues or have questions about the
submission process, contact the IEEE proceedings production
editor: Cristina Ceballos (c.ceballos[AT]contractor.ieee.org). For
conference proceeding specific queries, reach out to the
proceeding chairs.
Program Co-Chairs
Mai Abdelhakim, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Robert K. Cunningham, University of Pittsburgh, USA