The Zenith QRNG (photo by Quantum Dice)

Quantum Dice is launching its first product in the space arena. The Zenith Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), a product designed for space, will enable secure quantum communication technologies in the upcoming SpeQtral-1 satellite mission. Quantum Dice and SpeQtral announced the launch, Nov. 30.

SpeQtral-1, SpeQtral’s second quantum key distribution (QKD) satellite, builds on the ongoing work on the SpeQtre mission as well as on technologies demonstrated on the 2019 SpooQy-1 CubeSat. It will serve as a commercial pathfinder and demonstrator to define the future of global quantum secure communication services. This mission features Quantum Dice’s Zenith QRNG, SpeQtral’s entanglement and weak coherent quantum payloads, and a laser communications system in a 16U CubeSat.

The Zenith QRNG has been crafted to deliver a high-rate, robust, and low Size, Weight, and Power consumption (SWaP) solution, the Zenith QRNG features Quantum Dice’s proprietary DISC protocol. The company is claiming it provides a world-leading data rate of 200 to 1000 Mbps, which it believes sets a pioneering benchmark for secure quantum communication in space. Quantum Dice is a spinout from the University of Oxford’s quantum optics laboratory.

“Quantum Dice’s Zenith device has been engineered to withstand harsh environments in space without compromising on the security standards of the continuous live verification of our quantum randomness. We are proud to be a partner on the SpeQtral mission with our ultra-fast Gbps-class system, supporting an important domain of future communications.” Marko von der Leyen, Quantum Dice CTO, said in a statement.