China launches 'hack-proof' communications satellite.
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World's first quantum satellite is
launched in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, China, August 16, 2016.
China on Tuesday
launched the world's first quantum satellite, which will help it
establish
"hack-proof" communications between space and the ground, state media said, the latest
advance in an ambitious space program.
The program is a priority as President Xi Jinping has
urged China to establish itself as a space power, and apart from its civilian ambitions,
it has tested anti-satellite missiles.
The Quantum Experiments at Space Scale, or QUESS, satellite, was launched from
the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the remote northwestern province of Gansu in
the early hours of Tuesday, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"hack-proof" communications between space and the ground, state media said, the latest
advance in an ambitious space program.
The program is a priority as President Xi Jinping has
urged China to establish itself as a space power, and apart from its civilian ambitions,
it has tested anti-satellite missiles.
The Quantum Experiments at Space Scale, or QUESS, satellite, was launched from
the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the remote northwestern province of Gansu in
the early hours of Tuesday, the official Xinhua news agency said.
World's first quantum satellite is
launched in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, China, August 16, 2016.
"In its two-year mission, QUESS is designed
to establish 'hack-proof' quantum communications
by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground," it said.
"Quantum communication boasts ultra-high security as a quantum photon can neither be separated
nor duplicated," it added. "It is hence impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information
transmitted through it."
The satellite will enable secure communications between Beijing and Urumqi, Xinhua said, referring
to the capital of China's violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang, where the government
says it is battling an Islamist insurgency.
"The newly-launched satellite marks a transition in China's role - from a follower in classic
information technology development to one of the leaders guiding future achievements,"
Pan Jianwei, the project's chief scientist, told the agency.
Quantum communications holds "enormous prospects" in the field of defense, it added.
China insists its space program is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. Defense Department
has highlighted its increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed
to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.
by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground," it said.
"Quantum communication boasts ultra-high security as a quantum photon can neither be separated
nor duplicated," it added. "It is hence impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information
transmitted through it."
The satellite will enable secure communications between Beijing and Urumqi, Xinhua said, referring
to the capital of China's violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang, where the government
says it is battling an Islamist insurgency.
"The newly-launched satellite marks a transition in China's role - from a follower in classic
information technology development to one of the leaders guiding future achievements,"
Pan Jianwei, the project's chief scientist, told the agency.
Quantum communications holds "enormous prospects" in the field of defense, it added.
China insists its space program is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. Defense Department
has highlighted its increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed
to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.
Follow @Mazana17
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