On March 8, 2024, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) announced the opening of the Abu Dhabi Quantum Optical Ground Station (ADQOGS). According to the announcement, the facility is the first of its kind in the Arab world and the largest in the MENA region, dedicated to developing secure free-space optical communications for satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD).
Located at Al Sadeem Observatory in Al Wathba, the 2,363-square-meter facility houses a fully automated astronomical dome with an 800mm diameter tracking telescope, a control room, and a weather station. ADQOGS is equipped with a Quantum Acquisition and Tracking system designed at TII, capable of detecting quantum signals in the 760 nm to 860 nm wavelength range.
Ibrahim Hamza Al Qasim, Deputy Director-General at the UAE Space Agency, attended the opening and expressed the agency’s support for the initiative. James Grieve, Senior Director of TII’s Quantum Research Center, said the station prioritized technological sovereignty in quantum communication. TII noted the facility builds on existing partnerships, including its collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Quantum Technologies.