On behalf of the community here at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), congratulations to the Government of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency on today’s announcement. The $80.9 million in funding to the Canadian Space Agency is an important investment in the development of new technologies that will benefit all Canadians for generations.
Today’s announcement supports IQC’s Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) project. IQC faculty member and Associate Professor in the physics and astronomy department, Thomas Jennewein and his team have developed a cost-effective, small-scale satellite mission to bring ultra-secure quantum communication to life.
QEYSSat provides an important step towards a Canadian solution to a global problem - cybersecurity. Ultra-secure quantum communication has the potential to solve the long-standing problem of securely transporting cryptographic keys between distant locations. By utilizing the laws of quantum mechanics, quantum communication cannot be copied or directly measured without detection. The QEYSSat mission will demonstrate this phenomenon on a global scale and become the basis for a new generation of secure communication.
Congratulations to Professor Jennewein and his team. Today’s announcement recognizes your many years of research and technology development and firmly positions Canada in the global quantum space race.
Thank you to the Government of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency for your visionary support in quantum technologies. I look forward to our continued partnership in the quantum revolution.
Raymond Laflamme
Executive Director
Institute for Quantum Computing
University of Waterloo