China's quantum communication satellite, launched in August, is in good shape and scientific experiments can begin this month, according to the chief scientist of the project on Thursday.
All equipment carried by the satellite, the optical system and optical mechanical system on the satellite, and all ground equipment are working well, said Pan Jianwei, chief scientist of Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) project with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Satellite-to-earth links have been established between QUESS and five ground stations across China, laying the technical foundation for distributing quantum keys, Pan said. "We are confident that the project will fulfill its tasks," Pan said.
China successfully launched the world's first quantum satellite from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Aug. 16. QUESS will explore "hack-proof" quantum communications by transmitting unhackable keys from space, and provide insight into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics -- quantum entanglement.
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