WHO RUNS THIS · FINAL FRONTIER FOUNDATION
About
Space is no longer a frontier visited by the few. It is now the location of infrastructure for the many. The satellites above us now provide navigation, timing, communication, internet access and other services that the world runs on. Attacks on them are no longer hypothetical but expected.
Take the Con brings the people working to defend them into the same room. It convenes 28–29 April 2027 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama: two days of presentations, trainings, and networking, run for researchers by researchers. No product pitches. No marketing talks.
WHO IT'S FOR
Take the Con is built for the people working on aerospace security, but it isn't only for them. If you are serious about cybersecurity, hacking, aerospace, or security research, you belong in the room.
You do not have to do this for a living. You do not have to come from government or academia; private-sector and independent researchers stand on equal footing here.
If you have been doing this work mostly alone, this is where you find the others doing it too.
The Final Frontier Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit established by hackers and aerospace professionals to engage and support the community at the intersection of the space and cyber domains. Our mission statement,"To Boldly Know" reflects the value we place on curiosity and passion in the pursuit of cybersecurity research, education, and evangelism for a safe and resilient future in space.
The Foundation has no paid staff and runs at cost: it keeps back roughly enough to open the doors the next year, and puts everything else back into the conference.
FLIGHT DIRECTORS
Michael Butler
CO-FOUNDER · FINAL FRONTIER FOUNDATION
Michael Butler is an Army veteran, offensive cybersecurity expert, author, and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience conducting cyber operations across military, government, and commercial sectors. He is CEO and Founder of Final Frontier Security, LLC, and Executive Director of the Final Frontier Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. He is co-author of The Business of Hacking and Theoretical Cybersecurity (both published by Apress), and has taught cloud and satellite cybersecurity at Black Hat.
Dr. Jacob Oakley
CO-FOUNDER · FINAL FRONTIER FOUNDATION
Dr. Jacob Oakley is a cybersecurity journeyman, speaker, author, and educator with over 20 years of experience. He is an internationally recognized expert in cybersecurity for space systems and a thought leader on red teaming, offensive cyber operations, and cyber warfare. He teaches satellite hacking at Black Hat, is Space Lead and CTF Director for the DEF CON Aerospace Village, and served on the steering committee for the IEEE space system cybersecurity standards working group. He teaches space system cybersecurity at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and has written numerous books on cybersecurity, cyber warfare, and space system cybersecurity.
Henry Danielson
ACADEMIC AMBASSADOR
Henry Danielson is a cybersecurity and space satellite researcher with more than 20 years of experience in IT and security. His work includes involvement in the Interplanetary Networking Special Interest Group (IPNSIG) Academy Working Group and collaboration with the U.S. Space Force, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Space Systems Command on the Space Grand Challenge. His credentials include Black Hat trainer (guest lecturer) for “A Space Hacking Odyssey” (2025–26), 10 years as a DEF CON GOON (staff), and speaking at DEF CON 31. He presented on satellite security at CODE BLUE and TenguCon in Tokyo, Japan (2025–26), and provides security operations center training covering space and cybersecurity. An Aerospace Village Academic Ambassador, he developed the Space & Security capture-the-flag challenge for Aerospace Village STARPWN at DEF CON 34. His publication credits include “Outer Space Cyberattacks Generating Novel Scenarios to Avoid Surprise” (June 2024).