Xairos, a UK-based quantum technology company, announces its selection by Raymetrics and the European Space Agency (ESA) for the delivery of a Quantum Receiver for the Observatories to Optical Ground Stations (Obs2OGS) project.

The activity, led by Raymetrics, aims at upgrading three Greek astronomical observatories to operate as optical ground stations (OGS) within the Hellenic quantum communication initiative: National Observatory of Athens – NOA (Helmos Observatory on the Northern Peloponnese); Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – AUTH (Holomontas Observatory near Thessaloniki); and the Institute of Astrophysics of the Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas – FORTH (Skinakas Observatory near Heraklion, Crete).

Xairos will support the team led by Raymetrics to provide quantum receiver capabilities at one of the sites, allowing the delivery of quantum encryption keys from the EAGLE-1 satellite. This project is being carried out under ESA’s Greek Connectivity Recovery and Resilience programme, within ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications directorate. The view expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.

Raymetrics is a technology and software company with a global presence. They design and manufacture atmospheric LIDAR solutions. Their proprietary technology, based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (MLR) algorithms, allows us to address complex environmental challenges. Xairos is developing a global resilient space-based timing architecture using Quantum Time Transfer (QTT), a protocol invented and patented by the Xairos team. Accurate timing synchronization is critical for the world’s transportation, networks, financial transactions, data centers, and power grids. Xairos is commercializing QTT to develop the next generation of Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT), with the accuracy and security needed for future networks and applications.

Click here to learn more about Xairos' QTT Timing Architecture