Recently, the chairman of the Mission Governing Board of the National Quantum Mission, announced that India plans to launch a quantum satellite within the next 2-3 years to enable quantum communications.

About Quantum Satellite

• A quantum satellite is a type of communications satellite that leverages the principles of quantum physics to secure its signals.
• Example: Micius, launched by China in 2016 was the world’s first quantum communications satellite.
  • It Generates pairs of entangled photons for secure communication demonstrating the feasibility of secure quantum cryptography using entanglement.
• The Qunatum satellite will enable quantum key distribution (QKD), a process that ensures secure Quantum communication by detecting eavesdropping attempts and aborting compromised transmissions.
• Purpose: Enables secure communication by preventing unauthorized interception of messages transmitted over long distances through multiple networks.
• Relevance: The advent of quantum computers poses a threat to current security technologies, such as cryptographic security, which rely on complex mathematical problems to protect encryption keys.

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Quantum Satellite vs. Conventional Satellite

Principles of Quantum Mechanics involved

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About Quantum Communication

• Quantum communication leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to securely transmit and manipulate information.
• It utilizes the unique properties of quantum systems, such as superposition and entanglement, to enable secure transmission and manipulation of information.

Mechanisms in Quantum Communication

• Quantum Measurement: Any measurement of a quantum system changes its state, revealing eavesdropping.
• Quantum Entanglement:Changes to one entangled photon instantaneously affect its pair, ensuring secure communication.

Challenges in Quantum Satellite Implementation

• Authentication Issues: QKD lacks mechanisms to verify the source of transmission.
• Hardware Limitations: Difficulties in upgrading and patching quantum communication devices.
• Denial-of-Service (DoS) Risks: Eavesdroppers can interrupt transmissions by triggering the abort mechanism.
• Infrastructure Costs: High setup and maintenance costs for QKD networks.Signal Loss: Atmospheric and distance-related attenuation affects photon transmission reliability.
  • India’s Advancements in Quantum Satellite Technology

India’s Advancements in Quantum Satellite Technology

• Studies at the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru identified Hanle, Ladakh, as an optimal site for establishing satellite based Quantum Communication systems as  it has low signal loss.
• India’s National Quantum Mission is set to focus on overcoming technological and logistical challenges.

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Way forward

• While quantum cryptography shows immense promise, experts advocate for integrating it with post-quantum cryptography which are advanced classical techniques designed to withstand quantum computing attacks.
• This approach ensures robust and scalable security frameworks in the quantum era.

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