CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Advanced Search
Home > Proceedings > Volume 12777 > Article
Open Access Paper
12 July 2023 Space infrastructures for Quantum-Safe secure communications: technologies, roadmap and initiatives from an industrial standpoint
G. Riccardi, M. Ottavi, A. Geraldi, L. Bruno, N. Scaiella, P. Conforto, A. Pisano
Author Affiliations +
Proceedings Volume 12777, International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2022; 1277733 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2690327
Event: International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2022, 2022, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Abstract
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is currently the only known technique that is able to guarantee information-theoretic secure communications. While many countries have already started developing use-cases based mostly on terrestrial links, the high losses that afflict fiber-basedchannels make them unsuitable for very-long-distance communications. Taking the quantum networks to a national and global scale thus requires the use of satellite-based quantum communications, as the attenuation experienced by photons in space communications is order of magnitudes lower than the one that characterizes terrestrial networks. Thales Alenia Space in Italy (TAS-I) is positioning itself as a key actor in the development of the technology needed to perform space quantum communications. In this work, we present an overview of the initiatives that are currently being carried out by TAS-I, and define a roadmap whose steps are planned to take the current laboratory experimentation towards the development of a fully operational QKD constellation meant to provide secret keys on a global scale. We also describe a possible implementation of an Italian demonstrator mission based on a LEO satellite that acts as a trusted node to distribute shared keys among a certain number of ground stations; we study the effects of some major system choices and assess the overall achievable performance in terms of Secret Key Volume (SKV).
© (2023) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Citation Download Citation
G. Riccardi, M. Ottavi, A. Geraldi, L. Bruno, N. Scaiella, P. Conforto, and A. Pisano "Space infrastructures for Quantum-Safe secure communications: technologies, roadmap and initiatives from an industrial standpoint", Proc. SPIE 12777, International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2022, 1277733 (12 July 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2690327
PROCEEDINGS
 13 PAGES
DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY
GET CITATION
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Satellites
Quantum key distribution
Quantum space
Quantum communications
Quantum systems
Satellite communications
Quantum based satellite communication
RELATED CONTENT
Subscribe to Digital Library
Receive Erratum Email Alert
Back to Top