Speqtre, an innovative secure communications CubeSat, has passed a major milestone in its journey to space. The mission, which will demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) from space, has passed its critical design review which means that the team can now build and test a full model of the satellite.
New and impactful technology
QKD enables a way of encrypting data communications so that it cannot be hacked, even by future quantum computers. UK leadership in this area will help to open access to a global market thought to be worth up to US$15 billion (£11.5 billion) over the next ten years.
Speqtre is being developed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space in the UK and SpeQtral, a quantum communications company in Singapore. The satellite platform is being designed and supplied by ISISPACE in the Netherlands.
Andy Vick, Disruptive Space Technology lead at RAL Space and UK Principal Investigator for Speqtre said: “Speqtre is taking a new and agile approach to developing space hardware which is scary to this very risk-averse industry. This review was an opportunity to get an unbiased view of our approach from a team of experts. I’m delighted that we have passed this critical milestone and developing Speqtre is proving to be cheaper and faster than traditional space projects. This is an extremely exciting mission, both because it will demonstrate impactful new technology but also because of the way we are developing it. This is a template for future space projects to help us bring innovative ideas to fruition more quickly.”
Jeroen Rotteveel, CEO at ISISPACE, stated: “It is great to see this project progressing so well, and that is all due to the excellent work of the project teams working closely together. Secure communications are essential in these turbulent times, and we are happy to contribute with our solutions to various initiatives wherever possible. The SPEQTRE project allows us to take further steps in providing small satellite solutions for a safer society using secure communications technology, something we at ISISPACE value dearly.”