The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has announced that China will be launching the World’s first Quantum Communications Satellite into space in the month of July. The launch will take place at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China.
The project involved building the Quantum Satellite as well as four base stations that will enable communication between Earth and the satellite. These ground stations will be set-up thousands of kilometers away from each other, and two of them will be connected to the satellite via quantum optical links that will facilitate the flow of information. The CAS has also built one Quantum-teleportation experiment station. The project has taken a total of five years to build, and the satellite will be transported to the launch station some time later this month.
With security being a growing concern among governments around the World, the introduction of Quantum Satellite Communications will ensure that China enjoys privacy in its communications network, staying free from hacks, taps, and spying altogether.
The Quantum Communications Satellite encrypts information using Quantum Entanglement. Such encryption makes use of a Quantum key to decrypt the information transferred, without which a listener or spy will not be able to decipher it. Breaking, separating, or decoding such information is near to impossible, which will give China an edge over other World nations for possessing a fool-proof communications system that cannot be hacked.
Once the satellite has been launched, the country will be able to protect itself from cyber-threats and hackers; thereby protecting their communication systems constantly. Nations around the world have been attempting to reach a similar end-motive for a while now.
China will also build its own Quantum Sharing Network, which will enable their National Defense groups to freely exchange information without being intercepted by an unwanted third-party. The country expects to make use of its Quantum Satellite around the planet by the end of 2030.
