Next Generation Satellite QKD - Creating a UK Sovereign Capability for Manufacturing Satellite QKD Payloads

下一代卫星 QKD - 创建英国主权制造卫星 QKD 有效负载的能力

• 批准号: 41172
• 金额: $ 574.15万
• 依托单位: ARQIT LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=41172
• 关键词: Next; Generation; Satellite; QKD; Creating

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) facilitates the secure sharing of encryption keys using quantum technology. These keys can encrypt data for transmission over conventional fibre links across any distance, but QKD itself is limited over fibre to around 150km. Beyond this, 'trusted nodes' are required, but at major risk of creating security vulnerabilities. A number of fibre QKD networks are being built, including in the UK, but all are subject to this constraint. QKD through free space is less sensitive to distance. Thus, satellites provide the means for distributing keys across very large distances between end users spread across countries or continents - they are a facilitator of global QKD networks. Satellite components in QKD networks are being planned or researched in a number of countries. A consortium led by Arqit aims to establish the world's first commercial QKD satellite constellation. The first satellite is being build under contract with the European Space Agency, with a quantum payload being manufactured by European partners. There is an opportunity for the UK quantum technology industry to leapfrog other countries by creating a capability to manufacture the next generation of space QKD payloads here in the UK. The "Quantum Payload Factory" project will work with organisations across the UK to progress the state of the art of promising quantum communications technologies, understand their potential to enhance the performance of Arqit's global QKD system, validate their capabilities and technology readiness, engineer them to become "space ready" and develop an enhanced performance payload design that brings these new UK technologies into the second generation of Arqit satellites.

量子密钥分发（QKD）促进了使用量子技术的加密密钥的安全共享。这些密钥可以加密数据，以便在任何距离上通过传统光纤链路传输，但QKD本身在光纤上的传输距离仅限于150公里左右。除此之外，还需要“可信节点”，但存在创建安全漏洞的重大风险。包括英国在内的许多光纤QKD网络正在建设中，但所有这些网络都受到这一限制。通过自由空间的QKD对距离不太敏感。因此，卫星提供了在跨越国家或大陆的终端用户之间跨越非常大的距离分发密钥的手段-它们是全球QKD网络的促进者。一些国家正在规划或研究量子密钥分配网络中的卫星组件。由Arqit领导的一个财团旨在建立世界上第一个商业QKD卫星星座。第一颗卫星是根据与欧洲航天局的合同建造的，量子有效载荷由欧洲合作伙伴制造。英国量子技术产业有机会通过在英国制造下一代空间QKD有效载荷的能力来超越其他国家。“量子有效载荷工厂”项目将与英国各地的组织合作，以推进有前途的量子通信技术的发展，了解其增强Arqit全球QKD系统性能的潜力，验证其能力和技术准备，使其成为“太空就绪”并开发一种增强性能的有效载荷设计，将这些新的英国技术引入第二代Arqit卫星。