TII and Honeywell Partner to Develop Quantum-Secure Satellite Communications
A new partnership has been announced between Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and Honeywell aimed at developing quantum-secure satellite communication systems. The initiative will integrate Honeywell’s QKDSat platform with TII’s terrestrial Abu Dhabi Quantum Optical Ground Station (ADQOGS) to test and validate end-to-end quantum key distribution (QKD) links between space and ground networks.
QKD, which uses the quantum properties of light to create encryption keys that cannot be intercepted or replicated, is seen as one of the most promising tools for securing communications in a post-quantum world.
Honeywell brings decades of experience in secure space systems, adding the engineering expertise needed to move QKD from theory to operational reality. “Turning quantum science into operational capability requires proven space engineering,” said Lisa Napolitano, Vice President and General Manager at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.
At the center of the effort is ADQOGS, TII’s purpose-built quantum optical ground station. The facility supports satellite-based quantum experiments that encode cryptographic keys onto photons and send them between space and Earth. By pairing ADQOGS with Honeywell’s satellite platform, the partners aim to demonstrate long-distance QKD links, bypassing the physical limitations of fiber-based quantum networks, which can only reach a few hundred kilometers before signal degradation becomes prohibitive.