China has developed the world’s first mobile quantum satellite station
The world’s first portable ground station for sending and receiving secure quantum communications is up and running. The station has successfully connected to China’s Quantum Space Satellite, nicknamed Mozi, which was launched in August 2016.
Ji-Gang Ren at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei and colleagues used the mobile station to send a secure data transmission from Jinan in north-eastern China.
Unlike the ground station used when Mozi launched, which weighed more than 10 tonnes, this mobile station weighs about 80 kilograms and is small enough to be installed the top of a car. The significant downsizing comes with a slight reduction in transmitting power. The mobile ground station transmits data at a rate of between 4000 and 10,000 bits per second, compared to a rate of about 40,000 bits per second for larger stations, says Ren.
