SES-led EAGLE-1 onboards TNO and Airbus to deliver ground station for Quantum Key Distribution

The optical ground station for EAGLE-1 represents a highly advanced and complex system which will be able to receive quantum encryption keys from the EAGLE-1 satellite, and will have at its core a system that integrates fast adaptive optics, accurate mirrors, a robust fiber coupling, a novel laser beacon system, and a stabilised telescope.

TNO and Airbus Netherlands B.V. will lead the collaboration to design and build the optical ground station, where TNO is responsible for the design, the adaptive optics and overall system engineering, and the Airbus team in the Netherlands will develop the support technologies, control platform, and implementation. The collaboration is jointly funded by the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) and NXTGEN HIGHTECH. The organisations are joined by:

• Officina Stellare (OFS) responsible for the telescope and dome design
• Celestia-STS who will be designing the optical digital modem in collaboration with TNO and TESAT
• Demcon who will deliver the design of the wave front sensor, a critical component for the adaptive optics

Co-funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC), together with the space agencies of Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and the Czech Republic, and the industry, the EAGLE-1 programme will demonstrate the feasibility of quantum key distribution (QKD) technology via satellite within the EU and beyond, enabling next generation cybersecurity for the Member States. It will also provide valuable mission data for the future deployment of a secure quantum communication infrastructure for the EU (EuroQCI).