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

量子密钥分发（QKD）利用量子技术促进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的光纤链路传输，但QKD本身在光纤上的传输范围被限制在150公里左右。除此之外，“可信节点”是必需的，但存在创建安全漏洞的主要风险。包括英国在内的许多光纤QKD网络正在建设中，但都受到这一限制。通过自由空间的QKD对距离不太敏感。因此，卫星提供了在遍布国家或大陆的终端用户之间长距离分发密钥的手段——它们是全球QKD网络的推动者。一些国家正在规划或研究QKD网络中的卫星组件。由Arqit牵头的一个财团旨在建立世界上第一个商业QKD卫星星座。第一颗卫星正在根据与欧洲航天局的合同建造，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创造制造下一代太空量子密钥分配有效载荷的能力，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，推进有前途的量子通信技术的最新发展，了解它们增强Arqit全球QKD系统性能的潜力，验证它们的能力和技术准备情况，设计它们成为“空间准备”，并开发增强性能的有效载荷设计，将这些新的英国技术带入第二代Arqit卫星。

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.