Russia and China successfully transmit two images over satellite using quantum communication

In an important step towards using quantum communication on a practical level, scientists from Russia and China have successfully conducted a quantum communication test over satellite. Quantum communication, a highly secure form of data transmission that is immune to hacking, has the potential to develop advanced encrypted communication networks between nations, particularly for the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China). This test signals an increased level of high-tech collaboration between Beijing and Moscow, particularly for military purposes.

The test involved the transmission of two images, encrypted with quantum keys, over a distance of 2,300 miles between a ground station in Zvenigorod, near Moscow, and another near Urumqi, in China's Xinjiang region. The images were transmitted via China's quantum satellite, Mozi, which was launched in 2016 and is primarily managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Despite this achievement, there are still numerous technical challenges to overcome. Expanding such a network would require extensive infrastructure development, and maintaining quantum signals over long distances is also difficult, due to the fragility of the particles of light used in quantum communications. While this fragility protects the data from being stolen, it also limits the distance the data can travel. This problem was highlighted by Professor Marco Lucamarini from the University of York's Institute for Safe Autonomy and School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, who led a research team that tested the longest stretch of fiber optic cable for quantum communications underwater between Ireland and England.