Quantum Leap: SA and China Set Record with 12,900 km Ultra-Secure Satellite Link
South African and Chinese scientists set a global milestone with a 12,900 km quantum satellite link, advancing ultra-secure communication and cybersecurity.
A team of scientists from South Africa and China has successfully established the world’s longest intercontinental ultra-secure quantum satellite link, spanning 12,900 kilometers.
This breakthrough marks a significant advancement in quantum communication technology, enhancing global cybersecurity and data encryption capabilities.
A quantum network provides an infrastructure that connects quantum devices with revolutionary computing, sensing and communication capabilities. A quantum satellite constellation offers a solution to facilitate the quantum network on a global scale.
Also, a secret key, enabling one-time pad encryption of images, is created between China and South Africa at locations separated by over 12,900 kilometres on Earth. The compact quantum payload can be readily assembled on existing space stations or small satellites, paving the way for a satellite-constellation-based quantum and classical network for widespread real-life applications.
– Excerpt’s from the Abstract of “Microsatellite-based real-time quantum key distribution” (Published in Nature )
