The QUICK³ nanosatellite, designed to test components for future quantum satellite systems, aims to enable fast and secure communication using quantum technology. Developed by a research team led by Professor Tobias Vogl at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the satellite was launched into its designated orbit on Monday, June 23, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California using a booster rocket. The mission is expected to deliver its first results by the end of the year.

The QUICK³ satellite, smaller than a shoebox and weighing approximately 4kg, is tasked with testing quantum communication components to achieve completely secure data transmission from sender to receiver.

Unlike traditional fiber-optic communication, quantum communication satellites transmit information not through light pulses composed of numerous photons but through individual, precisely defined photons. These photons possess quantum states, ensuring absolutely secure transmission.

Any attempt to intercept the information would alter the photon's state, making it immediately detectable. However, individual photons cannot be copied or amplified, limiting their transmission range in fiber-optic cables to a few hundred kilometers.

Quantum communication via satellites leverages the unique properties of the atmosphere. In the upper atmosphere, light scattering or absorption is minimal, creating ideal conditions for long-distance secure data transmission.

To make quantum communication a daily reality, a global network of hundreds of satellites is required. However, the QUICK³ mission first aims to verify that the nanosatellite's components can withstand space conditions and interact successfully.

The QUICK³ satellite was primarily developed by scientists from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz Institute for High Frequency Technology (FBH), and Technical University of Berlin (TUB), along with international partners from the Italian Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology (CNR-IFN) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

QUICK³ Nanosatellite Uses Single-photon Sources Instead of Laser Beams

"For this mission, we are testing single-photon technology in a nanosatellite for the first time," said Professor Tobias Vogl, Professor of Quantum Communication Systems Engineering at TUM and the project leader.

Currently, no similar projects exist worldwide. Other satellites are either too heavy, thus more costly, or use laser operations, which significantly reduce data transmission rates. Transmission speed is a key advantage of our system, though the satellite has only a few minutes of line-of-sight communication with ground stations per orbit.

The mission's second objective is to test the Born probability interpretation of the wave function in zero-gravity conditions. This function describes the probability of finding a quantum particle at a specific location—a core concept of quantum mechanics. Whether this rule also applies to the ubiquitous space environment has never been experimentally verified.