QEYnet will be taking their satellite quantum communications technology to space. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced on January 20 that they awarded a $1.4 million contribution so that they can test their quantum key distribution technology.
The award is being made as part of the CSA’s Space Technology Development Program (STDP), and is aimed at helping the company complete a “Low-cost Earth-to-Space Quantum Key Distribution Demonstration”. In other words, taking QEYnet’s technology into orbit and demonstrating that it can work in space. In a LinkedIn post, QEYnet also identified the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program as key funders of the development and qualification of this technology.
Quantum encryption in orbit
QEYnet is one of a number of companies focused on developing quantum technology, which uses the unique (and often somewhat difficult-to-understand) properties of quantum mechanics for specific kinds of calculations and communications.
In particular, QEYnet is focused on Quantum Key Distribution, a technology that relies on generating “entangled” pairs of photons whose orientations are interlinked by quantum mechanics. Each of the paired photons are sent to different locations, and used to create near-unbreakable encryption codes; any observation of the photons’ orientation by an attacker would change the key and reveal the detection.
This may become critically important in the future, as quantum computers are also very good at breaking conventional “public key” encryption.
QKD is used terrestrially already, by transmitting the photons via fibre, but there are distance limitations to that approach. QEYnet’s solution is to put these quantum key generators on satellites, which can then transmit the paired photons to different places on Earth without the risk of interception or degradation. And since the satellites are only creating and sending the key-generating photons, instead of the actual encrypted data, they have relatively small bandwidth, computation, and size requirements.
Testing the quantum receiver
Working with the CSA, Akula Tech and C-CORE, QEYnet will be testing quantum key generation in space, sending up a payload based on QEYnet’s Quantum Receiver to be tested in orbit. According to the CSA’s announcement, “this technology will be tested in space to evaluate its performance,” adding that the objective is to “demonstrate the ability to load new keys in orbit, demonstrate QKD between locations on Earth, and confirm the concept of operations for this cutting-edge technology.”
In a statement to SpaceQ, QEYnet CEO and Co-founder Cordell Grant provided more details. Grant said that the test will involve three main elements: “verifying and characterizing the optical link down to single photon levels,” “demonstrating secure quantum key exchange and data encryption/decryption between space and Earth,” and “demonstrating secure key exchange between Earth locations via the satellite.” He added that “we also hope to carry out customer-defined experiments and demonstrations” during the testing, to better ensure a fit to market needs.
He also pointed to the spacecraft industry as a potential customer, rather than simply terrestrial operators. “The paradigm in the space industry is that satellites are statically keyed before launch,” he said, and that their technology “enables spacecraft or their payloads to be securely rekeyed.” This can not only recover from potential problems, but “enables capabilities and architectures that are both more secure and require less trust.”
The LinkedIn post also highlighted the space industry as a potential market. The technology, as said in the post, is being designed to “protect satellites against existing and emerging cyber threats, safeguard the valuable data they carry, and enable novel, zero-trust architectures not previously possible.”
Though he couldn’t share information on timing or a launch provider, he did say that the test is anticipated to “last about a year,” so as to ensure that “the payload can be characterized under the full range of environmental lighting conditions”. He also said that Akula will be providing the satellite bus.