{"id":33315,"date":"2025-11-11T11:21:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T11:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/?p=33315"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:29:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:29:49","slug":"new-era-in-quantum-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/new-era-in-quantum-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"New Era in Quantum Communication: Proved that Photons Can Be Sent from Earth to Orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It has been proven for the first time that quantum satellites<\/strong>, which until now could only operate in a unidirectional<\/strong> manner, can operate bidirectionally<\/strong>. It is possible to send photons<\/strong> from Earth<\/strong> to orbit<\/strong> and deliver them to their target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the field of quantum communication<\/strong>, there has been unidirectional traffic<\/strong> until now. Quantum satellites<\/strong> in orbit send light particles<\/strong> (photons<\/strong>) from space to Earth; this method, known as “downlink<\/strong>,” forms the basis of quantum encryption<\/strong> technologies. However, this traffic may become bidirectional<\/strong> in the near future. A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Technology Sydney<\/strong> has revealed that establishing an “uplink<\/strong>” connection with quantum satellites<\/strong>\u2014that is, sending photons<\/strong> from Earth<\/strong> to space and delivering them to their target\u2014is theoretically possible<\/strong>. This development represents a significant first step for the quantum internet<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, which has the potential to be the communication infrastructure of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the history of quantum satellites<\/strong>, China\u2019s Micius<\/strong> satellite, launched in 2016, was the groundbreaking first step in this field. Thanks to Micius<\/strong>, space-based quantum encryption<\/strong> systems were tested, and the first secure connection<\/strong> was established from space to Earth. By 2025, the Jinan-1 microsatellite<\/strong>, also developed by China, expanded the boundaries of this field by establishing a record quantum link<\/strong> of 12,900 kilometers between China and South Africa. However, all these experiments were based on the downlink principle<\/strong>. The satellites sent entangled photon pairs<\/strong>, created in space, to two different ground stations, thus obtaining a common quantum key<\/strong> at two points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Theoretically Possible to Deliver Photons to a Satellite Moving at 20,000 km\/h<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The study conducted at the University of Technology Sydney<\/strong> reverses this process. In this theoretical work<\/strong>, the team aimed to have single photons<\/strong>, launched simultaneously from two different ground stations<\/strong>, precisely meet on a satellite moving at a speed of 20,000 kilometers per second<\/strong> at 500 kilometers above the Earth. This scenario was largely considered unimplementable<\/strong> until now because it requires precision timing and pointing sensitive enough for the photons<\/strong> to form a quantum interference<\/strong> with each other. It was thought that light scattering<\/strong> in the atmosphere, signal losses<\/strong>, and background glare<\/strong> from Earth would make such a connection impossible. However, the modeling<\/strong> performed by Professor Simon Devitt and his team showed that the uplink<\/strong> connection is theoretically possible<\/strong> even when all these factors are taken into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Devitt shared the promising results of the study, saying, \u201cWe included real-world conditions in our model, such as atmospheric effects<\/strong>, sunlight reflecting off the Moon<\/strong>, and minor misalignments of optical systems<\/strong>. Despite this, the results showed that the uplink connection<\/strong> is feasible<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the researchers, uplink-based systems<\/strong> could play a crucial role in building global quantum communication networks<\/strong> in the long term. However, there are still serious engineering<\/strong> and physical limitations<\/strong> that need to be overcome for this to happen. Current quantum cryptography<\/strong> systems are limited to generating a “secret key<\/strong>” using only a few photons<\/strong>. A true quantum internet<\/strong>, however, requires much higher bandwidth<\/strong> and stability<\/strong>. The uplink approach<\/strong> could theoretically provide flexibility in this direction, because if an uplink connection<\/strong> is possible, satellites will no longer need to carry complex and heavy quantum light sources<\/strong> internally. Instead, smaller and simpler optical modules<\/strong> that can detect and process photons<\/strong> sent from Earth stations<\/strong> may suffice. Still, implementing these systems on a practical scale may take quite some time. The Sydney team is quite hopeful about this. According to them, in the future, quantum entanglement<\/strong> will become an invisible infrastructure<\/strong>, much like today’s electricity or internet, working silently in the background of devices and networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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