Boeing is planning to launch a quantum network satellite following successful lab tests.
The Q4S quantum satellite is internally funded by Boeing and is scheduled for a 2026 launch after tests with car maker GM. The experimental satellite is attempting to demonstrate quantum networking in space, helping to better understand how these networks can be built across vast distances and remain highly synchronized.
Boeing sees quantum networking as a key technology for handling information with secure, quantum-enhanced applications, such as fault-tolerant systems that reduce errors in computing, secure voting mechanisms that protect electoral integrity, and blind quantum computing which allows data to be processed without exposure.
“We’re making a big bet on quantum technology,” said Jay Lowell, chief engineer for Boeing’s Disruptive Computing, Networks & Sensors organization. “Quantum entanglement swapping underpins the communication of the future, expanding quantum networks beyond simple point-to-point communication. We’re launching Q4S to prove it can be done in orbit.”
Entanglement swapping relies on quantum teleportation – a method where the information carried by a particle can be transferred without having to move the particle itself across the distance.
“By demonstrating entanglement swapping, we can create a scalable network, where quantum information can be transmitted over vast distances, something currently limited by decoherence and loss,” said Lowell.
The year-long Q4S demonstration involves two entangled-photon pair sources housed within a space vehicle. Boeing’s payload and technology partner, HRL Laboratories, a California-based joint venture between Boeing and GM has made significant advancements in benchtop exercises as the joint team finalizes technical designs of a space-hardened payload that is ready for launch.
“We’re doing much more than participating in quantum research, we are leading the way to operationalize and scale quantum technologies for global applications,” said Todd Citron, Boeing’s Chief Technology Officer.