Quantum Science and

Technology in Space
Dr Daniel Oi
Computational Nonlinear & Quantum Optics
SUPA Department of Physics
•Why Space?
•What Space?
•How Space?
Why Not Space?

•Expensive
•Difficult
•Long Development Time
 Why Space?
• Low noise (?)
• Long sightlines
• New environment
• Microgravity, no need for
levitations
• Freefall, geodesics
• High velocities
• Different gravitational potentials
 What (to do in) Space?
Long Base Lines Microgravity
• Observations, e.g. LISA. • BECs, delta-kick
cooling (CAL,
• Entanglement, Non- QUANTAS)
locality, and Bell Tests • MAQRO
• Wheeler Delayed • Sougato’s
Choice Experiment?
• ISLAND (Yukawa,
Inverse Square)
Geodesics
• Weak Equivalence Gravitational
Principle, e.g. STEP, Potential
MICROSCOPE, STE-
QUEST Difference
• Gravitational Spin Hall • Space-QUEST
• Clocks (HYPER,
• OPTIS (Isotropy of C) SAGAS, MWEG,
• Gravity Probe B MWXG, PHARAO,
ATLAS)
 Space QTech

• SatQKD
• Entanglement Distribution
• Space Clocks
• Gravitometry
GOCE Gravity Gradiometer

• Inertial Sensing
• Electrical and Magnetic Field Sensing
Clocks in Space

• Next-Gen GPS
• Time Stamping, Sync
• Fundamental Tests
• Optical Lattice Atomic Clocks
• Entangled Atoms

A quantum network of clocks, P. Kómár, et al., Nature Physics 10, 582 (2014)
 Quantum Experiments
• Long distance tests of entanglement, large velocities and
differences in gravitational potential
• BECs for sensing and metrology, gravity wave detectors
• Fundamental tests, e.g Weak Equivalence Principle using
dual species matter wave interferometer

MAIUS-1 physics package.

First BEC in Space
Einstein Equivalence Principle
• Current limit (MICROSCOPE) mission MICROSCOPE

design 10-15 Eötvös, actual 10-14

• STE-QUEST (also tests Time Dilation)
• 85Rb and 87Rb
• Aim 10-15 Eötvös
• Atomic Interferometer (AI)
• Differential phase shift due to
violation of equivalence
AI
Gravitational Wave Detection
• Alternatives to LISA
• Single Arm Instrument
• Optical Lattice Clocks
• BW 3mHz

Gravitational wave detection with optical lattice atomic clocks, S. Kolkowitz, et al., Phys. Rev. D 94, 124043 (2016)
MAQRO (see Henrik’s Talk)

• Macroscopic Quantum Resonators (MAQRO)

• Quantum Superpositions
• Laser Cooled Nanospheres
• Passive cooling of structure
 EPN 40, 26 (2009)

Space-QUEST
 Space-QUEST Now
• “Science” Mission, Gravity
induced decoherence arXiv:1703.08036

• Uplink configuration to ISS

Wheeler Delayed Choice
Up to 3500km

Extending Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment to space

F. Vedovato, et al., Science Advances 3 e1701180 (2017)
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701180
MAIUS-1
First BEC
in Space

6 mins microgravity
 QUESS/Micius

• Quantum Entanglement at Space

Scale, Mozi/Micius
• Launch 16th August 2016
• SSO@500km, 95 min period
• 635kg USD100M++?
• Many pioneering results

COSPAR 2016-051A, NORAD ID 41731

Tracking https://www.n2yo.com/?s=41731
 Micius 1

• Entanglement Distribution @1200km

• Source 6 mp/s, received 1 p/s peak
• 1167 pairs in 1059s cumulative time
• 0.41 microrad tracking
• Rx=1.2m, 1.8m, Tx=300mm, 180mm

DOI: 10.1126/science.aan3211
Micius 2

• Ground to Space
Teleportation
• Tx=130mm, Rx=300mm
• 911 4-photon
coincidences over 32
orbits, 11200s
• 41-52dB link loss
• F=0.8

doi:10.1038/nature23675
Micius 3
doi:10.1038/nature23655

• Decoy State QKD, 100MHz

• Tx=300mm , Rx=1m
• QBER 1.1% average, 273s pass
• Sifted key 1.7Mb, Private Key 300kb
 Micius 4
• Trusted Node Network, 3 ground stations
• Separate QKD links between Micius and OGSs
• Transmitted hash of key pairs allows ground
nodes to share a joint key
• One-time-pad or symmetric key cipher, e.g AES

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.200501
How (to get your mission in)
Space
• Space Challenges
• Big vs Small Space
• Space Engineering and Development
• Launch
• Operations
• Decomissioning
Space Challenges

• Size, Weight (Mass), and Power (SWaP)

• Shock, Vibration of Launch
• Radiation Environment
• Thermal Control
• Vacuum Compatibility
• Autonomous Operation
• Processing Power, Communications
 Big Space vs Small Space

• Big Space HST

• High capability, Long Duration (typically), High Stakes $109
• Dedicated vehicle, launch
• Long development, costly, “over-engineered”
• Small Space
• Leaner missions, short duration (typically), low stakes
• Ride-share, availability of standard buses and
components
• Short(er) development, cheaper(?), “fly it and see” (not
really, but the view of a traditional space engineer?)
OPUSat (not to scale)
$105
Satellite Zoology

• LargeSat (LISA, Hubble) 103 - 104kg $109

• MediumSat (GP-B) 5x102kg - 103kg $108
• MiniSat (MICROSCOPE) 102 - 5x102kg $107
• MicroSat 101 - 102kg $106
• NanoSat (CubeSat) 100kg - 101kg $105
• PicoSat 10-1kg - 100kg $103
• FemtoSat (ChipSat) < 10-1kg $101
New Space Revolution
• Launch as a commodity Small satellite
• Californian start-up mentality launch efforts
• Rapid Iteration • Firefly
• Agile development • Rocket Labs
• Less ground engineering and • Avio Spa (Vega)
testing, more in-orbit monitoring • Virgin Galactic
and evaluation of actual service
performance (Beta test in space) • Airbus-Safran
• Nammo Raufoss
• Containerization!

UK Space Ports
• Vertical Launch (Scotland)
• Horizontal Launch (TBD)
 CubeSat Anatomy
Basic building block 1U (10x10x10 cm3)

Steve Greenland testing 3U

Often stacked to form 2U, 3U, 6U, 8U UKube-1 at Clyde Space
etc.
 Off-the-Shelf CubeSats 6U
1U Systems, rest Payload

3U

12U

• OAP 10s of W
• Pointing <50µrad
• 1.5kg per U
• X-Band 100Mb/s DL
Typical
NanoSat

Sasha Buchman, Stanford

 Why CubeSats?

• Zeitgeist
• Smaller, faster, cheaper! COTS components
• Thriving CubeSat Ecosystem
• Commercial launch and ride-share expansion
• Democratization of Space (do it yourself)
• Developmental Programme Advantages
• Allows baby steps, flight heritage, experience
• Short Failure-Learning Cycle, iteration
• Reduced Risk Aversion
• NASA, ESA, Other Space Agencies Interest
 Why Not CubeSats

• Platform Constraints
• Volume, Mass, and Power limits
• (Current) lack of sub-systems, e.g. DFS
• Ultimate Performance
• Benchmark tests require larger missions (But STEP vs MICROSCOPE?)
• Easier to develop without needing to miniaturize
• Extra development effort to make compact outweighs savings on
platform and launch
Ticket to Ride
Launch Costs
 Launch and Operations

• Free launch possible (e.g NASA ELaNa) How not to launch a satellite

• Mostly rideshare as secondary/tertiary payloads

• Dedicated CubeSat launches as well (e.g PSLV-C37)
• Commercial launch brokers, e.g. Spaceflight,
Nanonracks, GOMSpace, ISIS, JAMMS, CST etc.
• Months between launch contract and launch (in
principle) due to containerization
• Can hire ground ops, ground stations, mission
control (e.g. Spaceflight)
• Ground Segment important, do not neglect.
 Decommissioning
600
• Be a good space citizen
500
• Do not make “Debris-Sats”

Initial Altitude (km)

• 25 year de-orbit requirement 400

• ISS deployment fulfils this 300

• Higher than 500-600km may 200

Maximum cycle 25 & 26
require active de-orbiting Average cycle 25 & 26
Minimum cycle 25 & 26
100
Zero Solar Activity
Minimum Initial Altitude
Maximum Initial Altitude
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Predicted Lifetime (years)

6U 10kg Minimum Drag Configuration

Technologies for Space

• Cooling • Low power computing

• Thermal Stability • Machine Learning/Autonomy
• Vacuum • Propulsion
• Power • Sensors
• Lasers
• Vibration Control
• Attitude Control
•
Astronomy Technology Centre

Drag Free Systems

• Deployables (solar panels, optics, antenna, structures)
 Subsystems NASA

STFC-ATC

Deployables

Drag-Free-System
Aeneas

Tethers Unlimited Inc.

Stirling or Pulse Tube

Coolers

Power/Propulsion

PPT

Passive Cryo-cooling to 100K (LOX) Lausanne Mars Space

Quantum CubeSat Review
 CQT CubeSat Programme

• Proposed 2009 (DO), first hire 2010 (Alex Ling)

Straits Times

• Preliminary aim: entanglement sources for satellite

quantum communications, compact, low-power, rugged,
autonomous
• CubeSat platform
• Cheap, quick to develop
• Exploit Conventional Off the Shelf (COTS) and standardized parts
• Easy to launch, satellite partner, orbital rideshare OPN 23, 42 (2012)

• Still steep learning curve

• Size, Weight, Power (SWaP) constraints
• Environmental conditions, vibration, thermal, vacuum, radiation

• Approach
• Get it to work first, refine later
• Gain experience with space engineering, operations, mission design
• Collaborate as much as possible with satellite developers, other space
quantum researchers
 SPEQS-I Development

• Colinear non-degenerate PDC BBO

Type-II configuration, folded optical
paths
• Low temperature sensitivity, heaters for
stabilization
• 405nm diode pumped
• On-board polarization analysis using
LCD rotators and PBSs
Balloon Testing

2012 Stratospheric
balloon test to
37.5km altitude

Second test flight 2013, results in:

Near-space flight of a correlated photon system,
Z. Tang, et al., Sci Rep. 4, 6366 (2014).
SPEQS-I Launch Campaign
• Test in-orbit performance of source
• Rideshare opportunity on GomX-2 2U CubeSat
• Orbital Sciences Antares ORB-3 Launch 28/10/2014
• Deployment of GomX-2 into free-flight early-2015
Antares CRS-2 ISS Resupply Launch 28th October 2014

Onboard: GomX-2 CubeSat with SPEQS-I Experiment

“Once more into the breach”

Galassia 2U CubeSat, NUS

20cm
Launched 16th December 2015 on the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV) into a 15° inclination, 550km altitude
With other Singaporean satellites (2-400kg) TeLEOS 1, VELOX
C1, Kent Ridge 1, VELOX 2, Athenoxat 1. All 6 satellites
successful.
Overflies Singapore ground station 6 times/day
• Switch-on after 36 days in orbit
• Internal temp -2° to 26° C
• High visibility
• Unexpected increase in dark counts
• Performance monitoring for life of satellite
SPEQS-2 & SpooQy-Sat
• Entangled SPEQS-2, refinement of SPEQS-1, 1-2Mcps
• Increased SWaP 750ml, 0.5kg, 10W, dedicated CubeSat required
• Off-The-Shelf GomX platform, payload 2U
• SpooQy-Sat in 2018

SPEQS-2 Layout
CQuCoM Proposal (2015)

Doable ~EUR5M
NSTP3-FT-063

QUARC

• Quantum Research CubeSat

• UK Space Agency Funded
• Miniaturisation of QKD System
• Optics
• Beam Steering
• Sources
• Future Development
• Aerial Trials
• Space Qualification
• 6U CubeSat Launch