On September 22, 2022, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Luxembourg-headquartered SES signed a contract at the 73rd International Astronautical Congress in Paris for the EAGLE-1 satellite system. EAGLE-1 will be the first European space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) system, designed to demonstrate and validate QKD technologies from low Earth orbit.
According to the European Commission, the SES-led consortium of 20 European companies will design, develop, launch, and operate the satellite. The project is co-funded by ESA contributions from Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic under the ARTES programme, as well as the European Commission through Horizon Europe. The total program cost was reported at approximately €130 million ($130 million).
SES will operate the satellite from a QKD operations center in Luxembourg. The satellite platform, built by Italian firm SITAEL, will carry a quantum-key payload developed by Germany’s Tesat Spacecom. Mission data will support the future deployment of the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI). The satellite is now scheduled for launch in late 2026 or early 2027.