Thales Alenia Space and partners sign contract with European Space Agency for TeQuantS quantum satellite communications project
23/01/2023
January 23, 2023 - Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the TeQuantS* project aimed at developing quantum space-to-Earth communications technologies. This contract, part of ESA's ARTES 4.0 Core Competitiveness programme element**, is supported by French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) and Austrian space agency ALR.
The TeQuantS project intends to develop quantum technologies for cybersecurity applications and future quantum information networks. These technologies will enable Thales Alenia Space and its partners to build satellites and optical ground stations by the end of 2026. TeQuantS will thus help to demonstrate the performance of long-distance quantum satellite links.
Satellites are today viewed as the best bet for long-distance quantum communications, as ground-based fiber-optic links directly transmitting quantum information are limited to a range of about 150 kilometers.
The main cybersecurity challenge is to generate secure cryptographic keys using the quantum properties of light and distribute them to users anywhere in the world. This capability is a response to the threat of quantum computers potentially able to crack cryptographic keys now in daily use.
Thales Alenia Space
The key challenge for quantum information networks is to enable future quantum computers and sensors to talk to each other and fulfill their promised exponential gains in performance.
Quantum communications are currently the focus of major research and development programs, notably the EuroQCI project in Europe.
The TeQuantS project led by Thales Alenia Space will draw on the expertise of a consortium composed of fellow prime Airbus Defence and Space, seven smaller firms and startups (ALPAO, AUREA Technology, BERTIN Technologies, MIRATLAS, OGS Technologies, QTlabs and SIGMAWORKS), and two research laboratories (LIP6 - Sorbonne University and INPHYNI - C te d'Azur University/CNRS). The project partners will be innovating together to advance quantum communications in pursuit of Europe's objectives.
Since 2018, Thales Alenia Space has been rolling out its roadmap to develop mature end-to-end quantum communications, notably through projects initiated by the European Commission (OPENQKD, QSAFE) and ESA (SAGA). With this roadmap, fully aligned with that of the TeQuantS project, Thales Alenia Space is focusing not only on satellites but also on ground stations and complete mission segments, leveraging its longstanding expertise as a telecommunications systems integrator and developer of optical terminals, and drawing on Thales's two decades of experience in quantum communications.
Javier Benedicto, Acting Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications at ESA, said: Supporting European autonomy, leadership and responsibility in today's digital world is becoming increasingly important. We are proud to be working with the consortium led by Thales Alenia Space to ensure that European citizens will continue to benefit from space-based secure connectivity in everyday life on Earth.
We're delighted to be working with our partners to develop quantum technologies that will demonstrate the ability to establish operational long-distance satellite quantum communications links and support Europe's sovereignty in this area, said Marc-Henri Serre, Thales Alenia Space Executive Vice President, Telecommunications. We thank ESA, CNES and the Austrian Space Agency for their vital support on this project, which is addressing future cybersecurity and quantum information network challenges.
About the TeQuantS consortium members & expertise
THALES ALENIA SPACE : Quantum systems
AIRBUS DEFENCE & SPACE: Quantum systems
ALPAO: Adaptive optics
AUREA Technology: Quantum equipment and components
BERTIN Technologies: Optomechanical systems
MIRATLAS: Atmospheric channel metrology
OGS Technologies: Optical ground stations
QTLabs: Quantum key distribution
SIGMAWORKS: Quantum channel synchronization
LIP6- Sorbonne University: Quantum systems
INPHYNI- C te d'Azur University/CNRS: Quantum systems
* Technological development for space-based Quantum reSource distribution
** ESA's ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) Core Competitiveness programme element is dedicated to the development, verification and demonstration of technologies and products for the satellite telecommunications market: https://artes.esa.int/core-competitiveness
ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE
Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies' Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.15 billion euros in 2021 and has around 8,000 employees in 10 countries with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US.
THALES ALENIA SPACE - PRESS CONTACTS
Sandrine Bielecki
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94
sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com
Catherine des Arcis
Tel.: +33 (0)6 78 64 63 97
catherine.des-arcis@tha
LINK: | https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press_release/thales-al... |
See more stories from thales |
More from Thales
28/03/2024
Thales speeds up its development of AI for defence
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, Europe's leading high-tech company in the civil and defence fields, has announced the creation of cortAIx, which bri...
27/03/2024
PERCEVAL: Thales and partners reshape the future of airline pilot training
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has formed a consortium with ENAC, lENS Paris-Saclay, Simaero, AviaSim and Corsair to develop a tooled methodology for ev...
21/03/2024
Thales and Skyguide partner to bring open architecture and best-of-class 3rd party system integration to the ATM industry
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales and Skyguide signed a Memorandum of Under...
20/03/2024
2024 Thales Data Threat Report Reveals Rise in Ransomware Attacks, as Compliance Failings Leave Businesses Vulnerable to Breaches
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn 27% increase in companies that fell victim to a ...
20/03/2024
Thales and DGAC operate the world's first solar-powered Air Traffic Control radar station in Calama, Chile
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The world's first Air Traffic Control radar ...
20/03/2024
Thales offers an upgraded product model for air traffic management with an upgrade of TopSky - ATC
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn TopSky - ATC works together with key stakeholder...
19/03/2024
Thales Alenia Space won European Space Agency's one of two LEO-PNT Orbit Demonstrators
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn A new satnav layer to complement the European Ga...
18/03/2024
Thales to modernize Montreal Mtro blue Line,improving passengers' punctuality and train reliability
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Following a call for tenders, the Soci t de tra...
18/03/2024
Cyberani and Thales enter a strategic alliance to strengthen the Kingdom's cybersecurity
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Mr. Saeed Al Saeed, CEO of Cyberani, and Mr. Pie...
18/03/2024
Thales to equip Cibao International Airport in Dominican Republic with new Air Traffic Control Radar System
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instituto Dominicano de Aviaci n Civil (IDAC) se...
15/03/2024
Post-quantum cryptography: six French cyber players join forces to design the secure communication networks of tomorrow
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The RESQUE consortium brings together six French...
14/03/2024
Thales Alenia Space will develop the radar instrument for ESA's 10th Earth Explorer Harmony exciting new mission
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales Alenia Space has been selected by ESA to ...
13/03/2024
Thales Partners with Neural Labs to Support AI-Powered Smart Cities
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Partnership spanning two decades expands to incorporate cloud licensing SaaS capabilities will enable Neural Labs to deploy an...
12/03/2024
GCAA, Etihad Airways and Thales set a collaborative framework for optimising flight operations
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On March 8th, the General Civil Aviation Authori...
11/03/2024
Thales provides expeditionary operations centre demonstrator to French Navy for drone-based mine countermeasures missions
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales took less than six months to develop the ...
08/03/2024
Thales Alenia Space signs contract with the Italian space agency to develop communications system for the International Mars Ice Mapper mission
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The company will develop an innovative antenna f...
06/03/2024
Thales Earns Top Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Accreditation in the United Kingdom
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales Transport in the UK has achieved the EW G...
05/03/2024
Thales reports its 2023 full-year results
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Order intake1: 23.1 billion, slightly down 2% ( 0.2% on an organic basis2) Sales: 18.4 billion, up 4.9% ( 7.9% on an organic ...
04/03/2024
Thales collaborative cloud solution certified to European Restricted level
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn In 2021, TrustNest R-Cloud became the first cloud solution certified for use with information classified as Restricted Distribut...
29/02/2024
Thales successfully delivers the first CAPTAS-4 sonar for the US Navy
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Advanced Acoustic Concepts (AAC), a subsidiary of Thales, has delivered the first CAPTAS-4 sonar for the U.S. Navys Constellatio...
28/02/2024
Eseye selects Thales to streamline IoT deployments with seamless connectivity management
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Eseye, a global IoT connectivity solutions provi...
28/02/2024
Thales to supply 8 Full Flight Simulators to Airbus Helicopters to train Bundeswehr's H145M pilots
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has signed a historic contract with Airbu...
27/02/2024
Telit Cinterion partners with Thales to enhance its IoT eSIM provisioning services
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telit Cinterion, an end-to-end IoT solutions ena...
27/02/2024
Indra and Thales sign a collaboration agreement to promote the joint development and commercialisation of cutting-edge defence systems
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The two Groups will leverage synergies to streng...
26/02/2024
Thales and Google scale eSIM across Android Ecosystem
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales eSIM Discovery solution will run Google Discovery Service for seamless activation of Android devices. With 300+ eSIM pla...
22/02/2024
Thales and Thaicom establish the foundation to lead the Unmanned Traffic Management deployment in Thailand
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales and Thaicom, through Thaicom's subsid...
21/02/2024
From post-quantum cryptography to seamless connectivity and 5G security, find out how Thales enables a secure connected world
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales actively contributes to making the world ...
21/02/2024
Saab and Thales sign ATM MoU for Singapore
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Saab and Thales announced today at Singapore Airshow 2024 the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the lo...
21/02/2024
Merah Putih-2 telecommunications satellite successfully launched
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Set to provide more capacity over the Indonesian archipelago Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 21, 2024 - Merah Putih-2 telecom...
21/02/2024
Malaysia Airlines Partners with Thales to Optimize Flight Management and Surveillance Solutions
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn 20 Airbus A330neo aircraft in Malaysia Airlines&...
20/02/2024
Thales Alenia Space launches MARSBalloon to offer students the chance to fly experiments and test technologies that could one day be destined for Mars
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Bristol, February 20th, 2024 - Thales Alenia Space, a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), harness students...
20/02/2024
Thales Strengthens Avionics and Digital Capabilities in Singapore
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales reinforces its Avionics industrial base in Singapore, through a Centre of Excellence that will work on industrialising ne...
19/02/2024
Air India selects Thales' AVANT Up In-Flight Entertainment to Elevate Experience for its Passengers
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Air India will equip 51 of its aircraft with Tha...
19/02/2024
Thales supplies SurfSAT-L satellite communication solution for F126 German frigates
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The German Navy will be equipped with SurfSAT-L ...
14/02/2024
Thales to equip Swiss rail operator BLS with a lower power consumption electronic interlockings
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has been awarded a frame contract to equi...
13/02/2024
Thales Alenia Space will provide communication equipment to NASA's NEO Surveyor mission
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The equipment produced at Thales Alenia Space si...
06/02/2024
123 GRIFFON and 22 JAGUAR: 2023 DGA scheduled delivery successfully completed by Nexter, a KNDS company, Arquus and Thales
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The temporary company grouping (Groupement Momen...
06/02/2024
Thales makes the CDP Climate A-List for the first time in an endorsement of its environmental transparency and actions to fight climate change
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Paris - Thales has joined the Climate A-List dra...
02/02/2024
Thales wins 1.8 Billion contract to maximise the days-at-sea for the Royal Navy'
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The UK Ministry of Defence has today announced a...
01/02/2024
Cubris to provide new energy saving system for London's Elizabeth line
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Alstom has chosen to implement Cubris' driver advisory system on Transport for London's Elizabeth line. TheGreenSpee...
29/01/2024
Korea's KASS satellite navigation system certified by national authorities and enters operational service
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The KASS regional system was developed by Thales...
29/01/2024
Thales air data solution to enable the smooth and safe flight of Eve Air Mobility's eVTOL aircraft
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The strategic partnership between Thales and Eve...
29/01/2024
Thales updates its financial agenda
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) updates its financial agenda for 2024. Date Event Release 5 March 2024 Full Year 2023 results ...
26/01/2024
Hellas Sat and Thales Alenia Space sign a Memorandum of Understanding to develop Optical Communication payload for Hellas Sat 5 satellite
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Athens, January 26th, 2024 - Hellas Sat and Thal...
24/01/2024
IIT Madras and Thales announce fourth edition of Carbon Zero Challenge (CZC 4.0), invite applications across India
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn As part of its CSR efforts in India, Thales has ...
23/01/2024
Thales and Caju take cards produced with sustainable raw materials to more than 30 000 companies in Brazil
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Caju is now issuing recycled PVC cards from Th...
23/01/2024
Thales and Quantinuum Launch Starter Kit to help Enterprises prepare for Post-Quantum Cryptography
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The new solution - the PQC Starter Kit - offer...
17/01/2024
The Land Tactical Collaborative Combat (LATACC) project accelerates the introduction of collaborative combat by European coalition forces
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The European Commission signed a Grant Agreement...
16/01/2024
EU launches Nostradamus and prepares Europe for a quantum world
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Deutsche Telekom-led consortium responsible for building EUs quantum communications testing infrastructure. Partners are Thales...