cubesat for QUANtum and 5G cOmmunication

Project Information

QUANGO

Grant agreement ID: 101004341

DOI

10.3030/101004341

Project closed

EC signature date 28 October 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Space

Total cost

€ 2 127 655,00

EU contribution

€ 2 127 655,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - QUANGO (cubesat for QUANtum and 5G cOmmunication)

Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Secure and reliable exchange of data and information plays a crucial role in our society. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) aims at overcoming the current classical cryptographic systems, preventing the vulnerabilities led by the advent of quantum computers. In this context, the EU-funded project QUANGO designed and realized prototyping key elements of a satellite mission that targets the delivery of both IoT and QKD services. QUANGO studies provide a new paradigm to share the satellite infrastructure required for secure communication based on QKD and for 5G communication. QUANGO also designed a constellation of low-earth orbit CubeSat and developed laboratory prototype of the satellite sub-system payloads, along with the corresponding ground stations.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

As stated in the proposal, the main objective of the project is (i) the design of a 12U-CubeSat low-earth-orbit satellite offering combined capabilities for communication secured by QKD and for 5G connection for Internet of Things (IoT); (ii) the development of payloads, sub-systems, and the corresponding ground stations; (iii) and the study of its implementation feasibility.
The specific objectives of the project are:
1. Design of a nano-satellite with both QKD and 5G capabilities for low orbit satellite-to-ground communication.
2. Design and development of the quantum payload and ground station.
3. Laboratory demonstrations of the critical components and subsystems.
4. Theoretical study of future technologies: inter-satellite QKD and integration of QKD security into 5G protocols.
5. Exploitation and business plan for the 5G-QKD satellite.

All the above objectives has been achieved by the Project.

Exploitation of the results has been achieved by the EU project QUDICE, whose KO meeting was on January, 26th 2023. The project will exploit Quango heritage to develop and test a higher-TRL model. UniPD is the coordinator of QUDICE.

Project results has been disseminated in conferences and public presentations

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The design and realization of two new QKD transmitters with 1Ghz repetition rate and Quantum Bit Error rate below 1% has been completed.
The design and realization of new optical payload for QKD transmission has been completed.
The design and realization of the new 5G IoT radio payload to be accommodated in the Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) CubeSat considered in the QUANGO project with combined capabilities for communication secured by QKD and for 5G connection for Internet of Things (IoT) has been completed.
We also completed the design of the 12U CubeSat, describing the main steps of the design process, system requirements, system level budgets (mass, power and volume) and the performance and risk analysis.
We also designed the satellite mission, reporting the design process, mission requirements, trade-off analysis, and the mission description, CONOPS and operative modes.
We provided a high-level description of the ground station able to receive the QKD signal coming from the CubeSat, together with an evaluation of its requirements. We also realized a breadboard recevier according to the previous requirements.
The test of the integration of the QKD source with the optical payload by using the designed optical receiver has been completed. Also the integration of the QRNG with the QKD source has been realized.
Finally we give an overview of the QKD infrastructure that is needed for a bank, to make use of a QKD system.

logo of the project QUANGO