What is the quantum satellite for India’s National Quantum Mission? | Explained Premium

India plans to launch a quantum satellite for secure communications in 2-3 years, part of the National Quantum Mission.

The story so far: On December 13, Ajai Chowdhry, chairman of the Mission Governing Board of the nascent National Quantum Mission, said India plans to launch a quantum satellite in “2-3 years for quantum communications”.

The National Quantum Mission (NQM) is a Department of Science & Technology programme to accelerate the use of quantum physics in the development of next-generation communications and sensing systems.

The development of computers changed the course of human history from the mid-20th century onwards. Thanks to advances in this sector, which continue to this day, humankind has access to telecommunications, weather forecasts, drug-discovery programmes, search-and-rescue plans, artificial intelligence, etc.

But many of these advances are nearing a saturation point because the physics phenomena on which they are based, called classical physics, are hitting a performance upper-limit. Today scientists around the world are building new devices to perform the same functions but using quantum physics. Because the rules of quantum physics allow for the outcomes of classical physics as well as ‘bonus’ ones not found in the classical paradigm, the new devices are expected to have new abilities.

The Union Cabinet approved the NQM in April 2023 at a total cost of Rs 6,000 crore, to be implemented from 2023 to 2031. The planned quantum satellite is an experiment in this package.

A quantum satellite is a term for a communications satellite that uses quantum physics to secure its signals.

Communications is a broad term that refers to technologies that send and receive signals. An important part of these technologies is security: preventing bad actors from intercepting a message being transmitted across large distances, through multiple networks.