NishMath - #quantumsecurity

Heriot-Watt University has launched a £2.5 million Optical Ground Station (HOGS) at its Research Park in Edinburgh, marking a significant advancement in satellite-based quantum-secure communication. The facility, developed under the UK Quantum Communications Hub, features a 70-cm precision telescope equipped with adaptive optics and quantum detectors. This investment positions Heriot-Watt at the forefront of quantum communication research and development.

The HOGS facility will enable quantum key distribution (QKD) experiments with satellites, facilitating secure communication channels resistant to future decryption by quantum computers. The station is equipped to monitor space debris and test ultra-high-speed optical communications for next-generation networks. This is the UK’s first major infrastructure investment in free-space quantum key distribution research, as it will serve as a testbed for space-to-ground optical links that use quantum-secure protocols to exchange encryption keys via single photons.

The project marks a major step in the UK’s efforts to build a quantum-secure internet, offering a unique testbed for industry and academia. Connected via dark fibre to Heriot-Watt’s quantum labs, HOGS enables real-time simulation and validation of urban to intercontinental optical quantum networks. HOGS is part of Heriot-Watt’s leadership in the new Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN) Hub, positioning the university as a central player in the development of quantum-secure communications. The facility aims to grow Scotland’s space economy and future workforce, partnering with universities, national laboratories, and businesses, including STEM programs for students.


References :

• quantumcomputingreport.com: Heriot-Watt University Opens £2.5M ($3.3M USD) Quantum Optical Ground Station to Advance Secure Satellite Communications
• : Heriot-Watt University Opens £2.5M ($3.3M USD) Quantum Optical Ground Station to Advance Secure Satellite Communications
• thequantuminsider.com: Heriot-Watt Opens $3M Quantum Satellite Research Facility, UK’s First Optical QKD Station
• thequantuminsider.com: Congress will ultimately decide how much quantum funding is preserved or expanded. But the White House’s proposal seems to be signaling that quantum matters, but it must compete with a number of other priorities.

Classification:

• HashTags: #QuantumComms #Satellites #Security
• Company: Heriot-Watt
• Target: SecureCommunication
• Product: QuantumComms
• Feature: OpticalStation
• Type: Research
• Severity: Critical