China has successfully launched the world’s first quantum satellite which can provide “hack- proof” communications at speeds faster than light between space and the ground with significant military and commercial applications.

• • The satellite will circle the Earth once every 90 minutes after it enters a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kms. It is nicknamed “Micius” after a fifth century BC Chinese philosopher and scientist who has been credited as the first one in human history conducting optical experiments.
• In its two-year mission, the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) is designed to establish “hack-proof” quantum communications by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground and provide insights into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics – quantum entanglement.
• The satellites mission is to develop hack-proof quantum communications, allowing users to send messages securely and at speeds faster than light. Quantum communication boasts of ultra-high security as a quantum photon can neither be separated nor duplicated.
• It is hence impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through it. A quantum key is formed by a string of random numbers generated between two communicating users to encode information. Once intercepted or measured, the quantum state of the key will change, and the information being intercepted will self-destruct.