China on Monday put the world’s first-ever-quantum satellite to Earth’s orbit in a bid to develop hack-proof communication systems.
According to reports, the spacecraft – Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert Monday.
“In its two-year mission, QUESS is designed to establish ‘hack-proof’ quantum communications by transmitting un-crackable keys from space to the ground, and provide insights into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics —quantum entanglement,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
“Entangled” particles are intimately and curiously linked to each other; even if they’re separated by billions of miles of space; a change in one somehow affects the others.
QUESS will send messages to ground stations using entangled photons, Xinhua reported. Theoretically such form of communication is impossible to be intercepted or hacked. Besides any attempts to eavesdrop into the facility will be picked up as such attempt will induce change in the photons’ state.
Though many countries are putting effort to make quantum communications a reality, China is the first to launch a satellite dedicated to developing the technology. The technology, if successful, is speculated to impart military and diplomatic stealth in the field of communications.
The QUESS spacecraft weighing 600 kilograms is designed to revolve around Earth at an altitude of about 500 km.
Reminding of the ‘Transporter’ technology used in the popular Sci-Fi franchise ‘Star Trek’, QUESS will also test “quantum teleportation,” which is expected to beam precise information about the states of particles from the satellite to a ground station.
The satellite is nicknamed “Micius,” after a Chinese scientist who conducted groundbreaking optical experiments in the 5th century B.C.
