QEYNet Inc.

Published purpose

Satellites are critical infrastructure in our technologically advancing world. Daily, we use satellites to navigate, predict weather, and communicate. A cyberattack against space infrastructure could be devastating to modern society. To prevent such attack, satellites encrypt their communications using keys loaded before launch. If those keys are compromised after launch, there is no way to load new ones. QEYnet has developed a low-cost solution to this problem using quantum key distribution (QKD). In QKD, keys are sent to the satellite using photons. Due to the laws of quantum mechanics, any attempt at eavesdropping on a QKD system can be detected, making the keys highly secure. A test flight of this technology will enable evaluation of system performance in the target environment, demonstration of on-orbit rekeying, and demonstration of key distribution between locations on Earth.