ESA has entered into a contract with a COM-DEV Europe-led consortium to develop a cutting-edge quantum-safe satellite communication system. COM-DEV Europe is based in the UK and is part of the Honeywell group. This project, developed under ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Partnership Projects programme, part of ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications directorate, aims to improve the protection of sensitive information transmitted via satellite.
This public-private partnership is designed to be dual-use, supporting society, government and businesses through the Quantum Key Distribution Satellite (QKDSat). This advanced telecommunications satellite is designed to ensure ultra-secure exchange of sensitive encryption keys, enabling ultra robust encrypted communications and addressing growing challenges when it comes to data privacy and security in an increasingly connected world.
With support from the UK Space Agency, the project brings together a European and Canada wide industrial consortium with representatives from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia and the UK.
The QKDSat project will operate from the UK through the Honeywell-led Quantum Space & Terrestrial Applications for Telecommunications Encryption (Q-STATE) network. It will help organisations protect large volumes of confidential information by sharing their encryption keys through an extremely secure network robust to Quantum Computer attacks. Q-STATE also provides interception awareness, enabling it to terminate the communication channel between QKDSat and the ground terminal, stopping any encryption key from being stolen.
Thanks to QKDSat, organisations from across Europe and Canada will stand to benefit from more secure data exchanges, safeguarding against data breaches for entities such as financial institutions, telecommunications providers and critical infrastructure organisations.
“Data breaches can cost companies millions of dollars, and the stakes are even higher for critical infrastructure organisations because any loss of confidential data can have serious national security concerns,” said Matt Milas, President, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “A quantum-safe network equipped with QKDSat can reduce the number of security breaches and safeguard confidential data.”
“By developing sustainable end-to-end systems that extend to in-orbit validation, the QKDSat Project is supporting the success of European and Canadian industry in the highly competitive global telecommunications market while also de-risking partners investments so that they can continue to answer market needs,” said Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications. “The European Space Agency is proud to be able to partner with COM-DEV Europe within Honeywell group and continue this strategic initiative in order to drive successful operational deployment and ultimately commercial adoption.”
The QKDSat project forms part of ESA’s Partnership Projects programme line, which sits under ARTES. Led by the Connectivity and Secure Communications directorate, the programme drives innovation by federating ambitious large-scale, long-term collaborations between ESA, private companies, and satellite operators.
