SES, TESAT to Develop Payload for Europe’s First Quantum Cryptography LEO Satellite System EAGLE-1
May 11, 2023 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 1 minute

EAGLE-1 consortium lead SES announces a new key partner, TESAT, responsible for developing and integrating the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) payload for the EAGLE-1 satellite. The SES and TESAT partnership is aimed at achieving the next key milestone in building and implementing Europe’s pioneering quantum secure communications initiative EAGLE-1. Supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission, EAGLE-1 is a quantum key system integrating both space and ground segments that will deliver secure transmission of encryption keys across geographically dispersed areas and connect EU’s national quantum communications infrastructures for truly sovereign networks.
Consortium member and Europe’s leading laser communication technology company TESAT will manufacture the QKD payload comprising the Scalable Optical Terminal SCOT80 to establish a secure optical link from space to ground, as well as the QKD module of the satellite.
The technology integrated into the EAGLE-1 system’s payload will include built-in redundancy and is specifically designed to be associated with the satellite communications and data transmission for such areas as government, telco operators, cloud providers and banking, to add guaranteed security of the cryptographic applications.
“EAGLE-1 is a project that will benefit the whole of Europe, and being able to work with the leading technology players in the market to co-develop it and together shape this innovative secure technology is a privilege to SES,” said Ruy Pinto, Chief technology Officer of SES. “The addition of the secure optical links and the actual QKD module brings us closer to implementation, testing and further scaling the technology, that can ultimately serve millions of users. This elevates secure communications to an entirely new level, supporting development of reliable pan-European quantum communications infrastructures.”
“We are delighted to be selected as payload prime by SES and looking forward to bring our expertise in integrating secure technologies, and a track record of almost 80,000 executed optical satellite links for the benefit of this highly-important and timely European project,” said Thomas Reinartz, CEO of TESAT. “The EAGLE-1 system allows for achieving synergies together with leading industry partners, SMEs and institutes, reducing time to service and to market for the quantum secure technologies and its future key users, such as governments and institutions, or banking sector. Together with our partners, we are looking forward to strengthen European collaboration at all levels, including SMEs and institutions and contributing to European sovereignty in space.”
Suggested Items
Accenture Invests in Voltron Data to Help Organizations Use GPU Technology to Simplify Large-Scale Data Processing
02/21/2025 | BUSINESS WIREAccenture announced an investment in Voltron Data, a company that is building software to unlock the next generation of accelerated computing that underpins modern AI applications. This investment, made through Accenture Ventures, will support Voltron Data in its efforts to help organizations use advanced computing technology to speed up large-scale analytics, used for generative AI and machine learning applications.
IonQ Announces Innovations in Compact, Room-Temperature Quantum Computing through XHV Technology
02/21/2025 | BUSINESS WIREIonQ, a leader in the quantum computing and networking industries, announced the completion of its next-generation ion trap vacuum package prototype intended to realize smaller, more compact, room temperature quantum systems.
Robotics Action Plan for Europe: VDMA Urges Policymakers to Boost Competitiveness
02/20/2025 | VDMAVDMA Robotics +Automation, the largest networking organization for the robotics industry in Europe, has issued a call to action to stop the loss of global competitiveness of European economies.
STMicroelectronics to Enable Higher-Performance Cloud Optical Interconnect in Datacenters and AI Clusters
02/20/2025 | STMicroelectronicsSTMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, is unveiling its next generation of proprietary technologies for higher-performing optical interconnect in datacenters and AI clusters.
Are Domestic Assemblers Ready for the Next Level of Electronics Miniaturization?
02/19/2025 | Chrys Shea, SHEA Engineering ServicesUHDI technology is more than another evolutionary level of miniaturization. It’s a fundamental change in how we create circuit boards, on a scale potentially as impactful as the transition from through-hole to surface mount was 40 years ago.