On June 17, 2019, the SpooQy-1 nanosatellite developed at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore was deployed into low Earth orbit from the International Space Station. The 3U CubeSat, weighing approximately 2.6 kg, hosted the world’s first entangled photon source compact enough to fit on a nanosatellite and qualified for the space environment, according to CQT.
SpooQy-1’s primary objective was to produce and characterize entangled photon pairs in space. The mission confirmed the generation and detection of polarization-entangled photon pairs in orbit, a capability previously demonstrated only by China’s much larger 630 kg Micius satellite. Data published in June 2020 in the journal Optica confirmed that the instrument was performing as intended.
CQT made arrangements for the mission with the Singapore Space Technology Association. In December 2019, SpeQtral, a venture-funded CQT spin-off company, took over satellite operations to monitor long-term payload performance. The mission served as a pathfinder for a follow-on 12U satellite mission being developed jointly with RAL Space in the United Kingdom for space-to-ground quantum key distribution.