Geodesy is the science of measuring Earth's shape, orientation, and gravity field. It supports precise positioning, orbit determination, and reference frames used by satellites, mapping systems, and navigation services. In practice, geodesy turns raw measurements such as laser ranging, GPS signals, and gravity observations into trusted coordinates and models of Earth.
In cyber security, geodesy matters because many space and navigation systems depend on accurate ground data and timing. If orbit predictions, station coordinates, or processing pipelines are altered, the results can be wrong even when the spacecraft or sensor is intact. That makes geodetic workflows a real attack surface: integrity checks, access control, redundancy, and traceable data handling are essential. For passive satellites such as laser targets, geodesy is the core mission function, and the security challenge is protecting the terrestrial chain that interprets the measurements.