Quantum satellite with FBH laser system successfully launched into space
On June 23, the QUICK³ nanosatellite was launched into space to test key components needed to build a quantum satellite network in space. This mission aims to enable fast and secure quantum-based communication in the future. The small satellite, developed by an international research consortium, was launched into orbit on a carrier rocket from Vandenberg, California. Initial results from the mission are expected at the end of the year.
Also on board: a laser system developed by the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut in Berlin specifically for seeding the single-photon source. The fiber-coupled laser system with a wavelength of 698 nm delivers an output power of several milliwatts. With dimensions of only 45 x 80 x 20 mm3 and a weight of 200 grams, it is extremely compact.
Joining forces – the research consortium
The QUICK³ mission is an international research project led by Tobias Vogl, professor at TUM, and funded by the German Space Agency at DLR. In addition to researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the QUICK³ satellite was developed in collaboration with scientists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB), and Technische Universität Berlin (TUB), together with international partners at the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (CNR-IFN) in Italy and the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The quantum light source was built by teams at TUM and FSU and integrated with an optical chip from CNR-IFN in Italy. The FBH developed and built the laser system in collaboration with HUB to excite the quantum light source, which is controlled by electronics from NUS. TUB was responsible for the interface between the payload and the satellite.
