- Starion and HITEC Luxembourg have unveiled the optical ground station (OGS), developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), that will be used at the European end of the space segment of the International Use Cases for Operational QKD Applications and Services (INT-UQKD) project.
- Over 2 days, Starion, INT-UQKD lead, and project partner HITEC welcomed representatives from government, space agencies and industry to see the OGS before it is moved to its final operational location.
- The unveiling and demonstration marked a key milestone in the transition to an operational INT-UQKD space segment for quantum-safe communications.
On 24 and 26 June, Starion and HITEC Luxembourg welcomed representatives from Luxembourg and Belgium governments, space agencies, industry and the media to HITEC’s facility in Mamer, Luxembourg, to hear updates on the INT-UQKD project. The project is implemented under the Space Systems for Safety and Security programme, part of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). The representatives also visited the new OGS that will be a key component of the project’s space segment link with Singapore.
The versatile OGS was designed by HITEC to be compatible with multiple quantum key distribution (QKD) systems in low Earth orbit. Featuring a 80-centimetre telescope and two Nasmyth ports, along with a sophisticated satellite tracking system, the OGS is specifically designed for QKD, and is the first of its type in Luxembourg. Initially the OGS will connect with the SpeQtre satellite, built by ISISpace for SpeQtral and RAL Space, and launched in 2025. When operational, it will be able to work with two QKD satellite systems at any one time, according to pre-arranged schedules. The optical tube assembly was provided by project partner AMOS.
Visitors at the two events saw the fully assembled OGS housing the telescope during a tour of HITEC’s facility, following a presentation on the INT-UQKD project.
Alastair Pidgeon, Starion Chief Technology Officer, said: “The INT-UQKD project, co-funded by ESA, is at the frontline of guiding future quantum-safe communications and will also contribute to establishing secure connectivity standards. We are delighted to have been able to share updates about the project with our distinguished guests and, importantly, to make the project tangible by working with HITEC to show them the OGS that will provide the European end of the inter-continental space segment with Singapore.”
Marc Welter, Technical Officer of the INT-UQKD project at ESA, said: “This milestone demonstrates the effective cooperation between ESA and Luxembourg organisations in the quantum communications domain. It also contributes to Luxembourg’s positioning as a leader in quantum technologies in Europe. I would like to acknowledge the support of all of the Luxembourgish, Canadian, Singaporian and Belgian organisations involved in INT-UQKD who have helped us reach our objectives.”
HITEC CEO Philippe Osch added: “We were pleased to present to our visitors the features of our OGS, which will enable the critical link between Earth and a satellite travelling at 7 kilometres per second overhead, with a communication window of just a few minutes. For our team, being part of a project of this scale is a milestone in itself and one we’re incredibly proud of.”
About INT-UQKD
Initiated in 2022, the objective of INT-UQKD is to develop and demonstrate international use cases for quantum key distribution in operational IT environments and will also incorporate post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to increase operational reach and resilience.
Since August 2023, the team has been operating a terrestrial QKD link continuously between Belgium and Luxembourg deployed by Post Luxembourg. Earlier this month, Starion announced a 3-year Belgium extension that will demonstrate operational and secure interoperability across multitenant quantum communication infrastructures (QCIs) by linking INT-UQKD and BENELUX-QCI, and demonstrating an end-to-end key delivery service across these.
In parallel, the team is preparing for the OGS validation using the SpeQtral space segment, which is expected to happen later this year following the relocation of the OGS to its final location on the roof of POST Luxembourg’s data centre in Windhof, Luxembourg.
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.
Further information
- The INT-UQKD project is supported by ESA’s ARTES programme. Read more at connectivity.esa.int/artes-4-0-programme-overview/safety-security
- Partners in the initial phase are: INT-UQKD project lead Starion Luxembourg, POST Luxembourg, HITEC Luxembourg, the University of Luxembourg’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT), evolutionQ Inc. and SpeQtral Pte Ltd.
- The consortium for the Belgian extension is: Starion Luxembourg, Starion Belgium, Nexova, IMEC, AMOS and the Royal Military Academy of Belgium.
You can read more about the project at:
