The primary problem in information security is the focus of the first Chinese experimental satellite to be launched in July. The experiment sits on the concept of quantum communication as the solution for information security problem in information transmission.
The project not only includes the launching of the satellite, but also the construction of one station for space quantum teleportation experiment, and four other stations that will be built for quantum communication purposes.
Once completed, the researchers said that quantum optical links among near and far stations would be created by the satellite. In the future, this project can be used to produce a network for fiber-optic quantum communication, both for the use of the public and the military.
The satellite project, which is performed at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is headed by chief scientist Pan Jianwei, according to the Global Times. Pan said that the utilization of quantum communication via satellite is not only the first in the country, but also the initial attempt in the world.
Being a quantum physicist at the University of Science and Technology of China, Pan explained that quantum communication bolsters "ultra-high security. This would enable us to ensure that any transmitted information is protected."
Pan's statements were backed up by the Sun Yat-sen University Institute of Astronomy and Space Science's Li Miao, saying that "quantum communication can ensure a high degree of information security, as wiretapping such communications will break their quantum state, which will be noticeable to the communicating parties."
The reason behind the researchers' use of quantum communication to secure information is that a quantum photon cannot be duplicated or separated. This means that interception or tapping of transmitted information is impossible.
CAS' National Space Science Center director Wu Ji said that the experimental satellite is meant for scientific research as of the moment. It would be used to validate many theories in quantum science.