Boeing announced today that its quantum satellite, named Q4S, will launch in 2026 to demonstrate quantum entanglement swapping capabilities on orbit.
When it comes to space-based quantum communications, only China has a satellite up in orbit. In fact, China’s first dedicated quantum communication satellite went up in 2016. Europe and Canada have plans to launch satellites in 2025 or 2026. And with Boeing’s announcement – made at the Quantum World Congress being held just outside of Washington, D.C.– the United States is now joining the club.
Boeing is “taking on the challenge of entanglement swapping in space,” says Jay Lowell, chief engineer of disruptive computing, networks and sensors at Boeing.
