EAGLE-1 satellite for ESA’s end-to-end Quantum
Key Distribution system to launch on the Vega C rocket from
Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in 2024
The EAGLE-1 satellite, which will support the end-to-end secure
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system for Europe, will be launched
for SES by Arianespace on a Vega C rocket from French Guiana as
early as Q4 2024. The satellite will be placed into Low Earth Orbit
(LEO). The EAGLE-1 project comprising satellite and ground
infrastructure, is developed by SES and its consortium of 20
European partners, with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the
European Commission support.
Under the recently-signed agreement with ESA, SES and its
partners will design, develop, launch and operate a satellite-based
end-to-end QKD system for the purpose of testing and validating
space-based secure transmission of cryptographic keys. The first
European sovereign space-based QKD system will include the
dedicated low earth orbit (LEO) EAGLE-1 satellite and
state-of-the-art QKD operations centre in Luxembourg. In the scope
of EuroQCI, the EAGLE-1 satellite will enable early access,
validation, and integration of space-based QKD for EU Member
States.
“Building the EAGLE-1 end-to-end system for secure data
transmission and validating the long-distance Quantum Key
Distribution technology is an innovative project that will benefit
the EU Member States,” said Ruy Pinto, Chief Technology Officer at
SES. “We have been working with Arianespace for decades to deliver
our satellites into space and are delighted for them to be onboard
to launch the EAGLE-1 satellite into orbit.”
“We are delighted and honored by this renewed mark of confidence
from the leading global content connectivity service provider SES,”
noted Marino Fragnito, Director of Arianespace’s Vega business
unit. “Over the last 38 years, Arianespace has carried out 42
launches for its longstanding partner, and Vega C will now continue
this successful track record. It is a great honor for us to support
our customer’s ambitions and to be part of this mission that aims
at implementing Europe’s satellite-enabled cybersecurity
technology.”
Following the launch, the EAGLE-1 satellite will complete three
years of in-orbit mission supported by the European Commission.
During this operational phase, the satellite will allow European
Union governments and institutions, as well as critical business
sectors, early access to long-distance QKD that would path the way
towards an EU constellation enabling ultra-secure data
transmissions.
The EAGLE-1 project is co-funded by the ESA contribution of
Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland,
Belgium, and the Czech Republic under ARTES, as well as the
European Commission through Horizon Europe.
Vega C, the new European light launcher successfully passed its
inaugural flight on July 13 and now enters its operational phase
under the responsibility of Arianespace. With this contract, Vega C
backlog includes over 40 satellites contracts.
Vega C development program has been managed by ESA with 12
Member States of the Agency. Avio Spa (Colleferro, Italy) is the
industrial prime of the Vega launch system. Vega C has been
upgraded with more powerful first and second stage Solid Rocket
Motors and with a larger fairing, which significantly increases
payload mass and double allowable volume as compared to Vega. The
launcher also better meets the specific needs of small spacecrafts,
thanks to its improved SSMS dispenser and to its AVUM+ that allows
seven re-ignitions instead of five. Vega C can thus deliver to
three different separation orbits for its multiple payloads within
the same mission, instead of the two previously possible with
Vega.
For more information, visit the EAGLE-1 Newsroom
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About ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the
mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and
ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens
of Europe and the world. For more information see www.esa.int
The Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Directorate
(TIA) supports innovation to boost the competitiveness of European
industry in the global space market. This involves a wide range of
activities, from space-based technology, systems, products for
telecommunications development to the down-to-Earth application of
space-based services. It also calls for engagement with a wide
range of industrial, academic, and institutional partners. For more
information, please visit our website: https://artes.esa.int/
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere
on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and
providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in
global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s
only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique
combination of global coverage and high performance, including the
commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By
leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is
able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on
land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s
leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators,
governments, connectivity and cloud service providers,
broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s
video network carries ~8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach
of 366 million households, delivering managed media services for
both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris
and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information
is available at: www.ses.com.
About Arianespace
Arianespace uses Space to make life better on Earth by providing
launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has
orbited over 1,100 satellites since 1980. Arianespace is
responsible for operating the new-generation Ariane 6 and Vega C
launchers, developed by ESA, with respectively ArianeGroup and Avio
as industrial primes. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near
Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center in
French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and
Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, which holds
74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 15 other
shareholders from the Ariane and Vega European launcher industry,
and ESA and Cnes as censors.
www.arianespace.com
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221108006349/en/
For further information: Suzanne Ong External
Communications, SES Tel. +352 710 725 500 suzanne.ong@ses.com
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