“In its two-year mission, QUESS is designed to establish 'hack-proof' quantum communications by transmitting un-crackable keys from space to the ground and provide insight into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics — quantum entanglement," China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The idea for launching a satellite for experiments with quantum communications was expressed in the early 2000s in the European Union, but did not receive the necessary financial support back in the day according to Russian military expert Vasily Kashin.
According to the expert as is often the case with such large-scale projects, in this case, an important advantage was the high degree of centralization of the Chinese political system. This allowed for a long time to concentrate resources on priority projects.
“The development of quantum technologies is the basis for the scientific and technological revolution of the future. Concentrating efforts on advanced technology, China will be able to perform at a certain point a leap forward to eliminate its technological lag behind the West.”
China plans to build a network of quantum satellites by 2030, if they are successful, it will provide an opportunity to get ahead of the competition by bringing this technology to the market.
“The development of quantum technologies is now a common priority for major countries. Russia also occupies a leading position in this field. Russian scientists have created a number of samples of equipment for quantum communication.”
For example, in Moscow, an experimental line of secure quantum communication ensures the exchange of information between the two offices of Gazprombank, which is one of the leading, banks in Russia.
The ability to create absolutely secure communication networks, which are impossible to crack and which will work without any influence from outside, could have revolutionary implications in the military sphere.
At present, information technology is being developed in constant confrontation with cyber espionage technology, cyber-warfare and electronic warfare. Hence, the development of quantum communication will enable a revolution in a number of important aspects of national defense.
Given the growing competition in the field of emerging technologies such as quantum communication, the BRICS countries, especially Russia and China, should join forces and increase the number of joint projects in this area, the analyst concluded.
