{"id":34242,"date":"2024-12-24T19:31:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T14:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=34242"},"modified":"2024-12-24T19:31:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T14:01:37","slug":"quantum-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-12-2024\/quantum-satellite","title":{"rendered":"Quantum Satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The chairman of the Mission Governing Board of the National Quantum Mission (NQM) recently announced India\u2019s plans to launch a quantum satellite in 2-3 years to enable quantum communications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>National Quantum Mission (NQM)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was conceptualized by the Prime Minister Science Technology Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) with a total outlay of <strong>Rs 6003.65 Crore<\/strong> for a period of <strong>eight years <\/strong>from 2023 to 2031.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Mission aims to seed, nurture, and scale up scientific and industrial R&amp;D and create a vibrant &amp; innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Mission aims to establish<strong> four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs)<\/strong> in domains such as,\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Quantum Computing,\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quantum Communication,\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quantum Sensing &amp; Metrology, and\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quantum Materials &amp; Devices.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a quantum satellite?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A quantum satellite is a communications satellite leveraging the <strong>principles of quantum physics<\/strong> to secure data transmissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance: <\/strong>The emergence of quantum computers poses a threat to existing cryptographic systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Quantum satellites aim to ensure secure communications by employing quantum cryptography particularly<strong> Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Are Messages Secured in Quantum Communication?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Quantum Measurement:<\/strong> Measuring a quantum system (like photons) alters its state.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If an eavesdropper intercepts a quantum key encoded in photons, their actions will disturb the photons, alerting the sender and receiver to a breach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quantum Entanglement:<\/strong> Entangled particles remain connected such that a change to one particle instantaneously affects the other, ensuring that any interception is immediately detectable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global scenario<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China launched the world&#8217;s first quantum satellite, <strong>Micius, in 2016.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China has also launched other quantum satellites, including <strong>Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>United States:<\/strong> Boeing is targeting 2026 to deploy a small quantum networking satellite.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges with QKD<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Authentication Issues:<\/strong> QKD cannot authenticate the source of the transmission.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hardware Dependency:<\/strong> QKD relies on specific hardware, making upgrades or patches challenging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost: <\/strong>High infrastructure costs can be a barrier to widespread adoption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Denial-of-Service (DoS) Risks: <\/strong>An eavesdropper can disrupt transmissions, preventing legitimate users from accessing the system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While QKD holds immense potential, the U.S. The National Security Agency recommends <strong>post-quantum cryptography (PQC)<\/strong> over quantum cryptography.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PQC employs advanced classical encryption methods that resist attacks from both classical and quantum computers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While challenges remain, integrating quantum technologies could provide a comprehensive framework for secure data transmission in the future.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As quantum physics continues to redefine technological paradigms, such initiatives will ensure India remains at the forefront of global scientific advancements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/what-is-the-quantum-satellite-for-indias-national-quantum-mission-explained\/article69003757.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The chairman of the Mission Governing Board of the National Quantum Mission (NQM) recently announced India\u2019s plans to launch a quantum satellite in 2-3 years to enable quantum communications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34243,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34242\/revisions\/34243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}