David Mitlyng for Xairos

Looking Back…
Prior to last year, the importance - and vulnerability - of GPS wasn't well understood by the general public.
Russia (and other countries) had long had the capability to jam and spoof GPS; a 2016 Moscow Times article even noted “The Kremlin Eats GPS for Breakfast.”
But then Russia invaded Ukraine, and GPS was brought into the limelight:

• January 21 - a GPS outage disrupted flights at Denver International Airport for over thirty hours.
• February 24 – Russia invades Ukraine and immediately started jamming GPS signals. 
• March 5 - flights were disrupted in Finland due to jamming that originated in Russia.
• April 29 - Russia’s threat to blow up the GPS satellites prompted a US ban on anti-satellite missiles.
• October 18 – a nearly two day GPS outage wreaked havoc at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, prompting the closure of a runway and rerouting air traffic and ground flights.
• December 23 – GPS jamming accelerated near the Norway, Sweden, and Finland borders.
• December 29 – Russia even starts jamming GPS in their own cities to thwart Ukraine drone attacks.

As a result, governments around the world accelerated alternatives.
The UK government authorized a National Timing Centre after a review estimated that a GPS outage could “impact the UK economy by over £1 billion per day.”
Joining them are the United States, South Korea, China, Korea, and India, among others, with plans to develop a national timing service.

Last Week's Theme: The North Pole needs Quantum Scientists

2022 was a big year for Xairos - some highlights:

• Built a Proof-of-Concept (POC) to advance our technology development using commercially available hardware and improve our algorithm, software, and simulation.
• Stood up our Board of Advisors with Dr. Raphael Pooser (Quantum Advisor), Nino De Falcis (Timing Advisor), Adam Sturmer (Business Strategy Advisor), and Chris Green (Finance Advisor).
• Received Notice of Allowance for our patents: “Quantum Secure Network Clock Synchronization” and “Quantum Secure Clock Synchronization Based On Time-Energy And Polarization Entangled Photon Pairs,” and filed additional patents related to quantum clock synchronization over fiber networks and space-based security.
• Many live conference and virtual presentations, including:
  • APSCC presentation “Quantum Communications: A Primer.”
  • Quantum 2.0 "Global Precision Time Distribution via Satellite-Based Entangled Photon Sources" presentation by Stav Haldar from Louisiana State University (with Xairos' support)
  • Colorado Space Roundup presentation.
  • Quantum Basel presentation.
  • IEEE Quantum Week Quantum Investor panel.
  • Colorado Photonics Industry Association Expo and Gala "Quantum Communications" presentation.
  • Part of a Colorado quantum delegation sponsored by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade and Business Finland.
  • Virtual investor Q&A presentation (next one coming up soon).
  • Q2B pitch presentation.
• Featured in:
  • Apogeo Spatial article “Global Timing with Quantum Technologies in Space.”
  • Startups Stars podcast interview.
  • Case Closed article "GPS is Ripe for Disruption."

A recap of the major news articles in the world of space and quantum in 2022:

• Commercial space companies stepped up to support Ukraine...
  • Commercial companies delivered crucial surveillance and communications for Ukraine, and even fending off electronic warfare attacks.
  • Starlink’s resiliency in Ukraine frustrated Russia, impressed the Pentagon, and alarmed China.
  • There are suspicions that Russia disrupted Viasat and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine and Europe, prompting the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to issue an alert over potential threats to satellite networks.
• New space also entered areas that were previously dominated by government space agencies...
  • NASA is looking to retire the ISS in 2030, and potentially use a commercial space station.
  • NASA is also looking at commercial alternatives for their Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.
  • Satellite operators are working with cell phone companies on universal coverage, including SpaceX and T-Mobile, Apple and Globalstar, among others.
• And a new Space Race is emerging with China as outlined in their “Space Silk Road” five year plan...
  • The race to a lunar outpost is underway between China, Europe, and the US.
    • China's lunar and deep space ambitions includes a permanent moon base by 2035.
    • NASA hopes to get a crew to the moon “as early as 2025 or 2026."
    • Europe is planning a lunar lander “capable of routinely dispatching science payloads and cargo to the Moon throughout the 2030s.”
    • The US military is preparing to defend the moon with a “Cislunar Highway Patrol System” and a lunar spy satellite.
  • Space is also emerging as a contested ground.
    • China has developed a small satellite laser and ground-based lasers that can shoot down satellites.
    • China’s Shijian-21 'space cleaner' satellite has raised concerns that it could observe and disrupt other satellites and was observed moving a dead satellite. 
    • Chinese researchers published a paper claiming that China should “disable or destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites if they threaten national security.”
  • This new Space Race has alarmed western officials.
    • US Air Force, Space Force, and NASA concluded that “China is on track to surpass the U.S. as the dominant space power as early as 2032,”
    • US Space Force stated that our satellites are attacked "every day."
    • A Deloitte report “Chinese Threats in the Quantum Era” claims China plans “a global QKD network by 2030.”
    • The Heritage Foundation “Meeting China’s Space Challenge” report claims that the US “faces its greatest space competitor since the dawn of the Space Age.”
    • A National Science Board report highlighted that R&D funding in the United States, while still highest in the world, was ceding ground to China.
    • A Defense Intelligence Agency “2022 Challenges to Security in Space” report highlights that “China and Russia continue to rapidly “mature” their counterspace capabilities.”
    • A Secure World Foundation “Global Counterspace Capabilities” report discusses the “proliferation of offensive counterspace capabilities that could be used to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy space systems."
    • A Center for Strategic and International Studies “Space Threat Assessment 2022” report notes that “more countries are investing in space and counterspace capabilities.”
    • A “State of the Space Industrial Base” report “calls on the government to accelerate the adoption of commercial technologies and services to maintain dominance in space.”
• Quantum development continues to be egged on by new sovereign funding...
  • China is determined to be the leader in quantum research.
    • A McKinsey “Quantum Technology Monitor” report claims that "activity in China is accelerating due to reported large government investment (estimated at $15.3 billion), more than double what EU governments are investing ($7.2 billion) and more than eight times that of US government investments ($1.9 billion).”
    • A Deloitte report estimates that China has invested $13B since 2015 in quantum research, while the US is in distant second with $2.1B of investment.
    • China is the clear leader in quantum satellites, launching their third quantum satellite as a follow-up to a quantum payload on Tiangong-2 and Micius quantum satellite.
    • China is also rolling out a quantum network extending across the country.
  • The United States is focusing on developing quantum networks and quantum security.
    • DC - Washington Metropolitan Quantum Network Research Consortium (DC-QNet) quantum network and test bed for research into quantum technology collaboration between a number of US government agencies.
    • Chicago - announced a publicly-available testbed for quantum security technology.
    • Tennessee - EPB and Qubitekk announced a testbed for a “commercially available quantum network.”
    • New York - Stony Brook University announced a new quantum internet testbed.
    • The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act to develop “encryption strong enough to resist attacks from quantum computers” was signed into law.
    • A National Security Memorandum instructed the National Security Agency to release documents relating to “quantum resistant protocols, and planning for use of quantum resistant cryptography where necessary.”
    • The Department of Defense announced a list of “critical technology areas” that includes quantum science as one of the top priorities. 
  • Europe
    • The European Commission (EC) announced two quantum network initiatives, the Quantum Internet Alliance and the HYPERSPACE research project, as well as a plan for a broadband constellation that will “leverage quantum encryption to secure the network.”
    • The European Space Agency and SES announced the Eagle-1 quantum satellite.
  • Singapore - opened a Quantum Networks Experience Centre and announced a National Quantum-Safe Network (NQSN) and new partnerships for their quantum satellite.
  • South Korea - announced the development of quantum cryptography communication networks, while Samsung added quantum random number generation chips to enhance the security of their cell phones.
  • Japan - unveiled a new quantum strategy and will “revamp its national quantum technology strategy, aiming to become self-sufficient in the area,” while also working with US partners
  • Australia - released their vision of a quantum future.
  • India - allocated over $1B towards a National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications (NMQTA), including a national quantum communication network.
  • Taiwan - announced plans to invest $273M in quantum technology development.
  • Russia – announced they are setting up a National Quantum Laboratory as a "key step to the development of all domestic industry of quantum technologies."
  • Canada – in addition to their QEYSSat quantum satellite mission, announced “the launch of a state-of-the-art quantum communications infrastructure.”
  • International quantum research partnerships were announced, including the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA); US, UK and Australia AUKUS Quantum Arrangement; and US Finland Cooperation in Quantum Information Science and Technology.
• The 2022 Nobel prize in physics has been jointly awarded to three scientists that “performed experiments utilizing entangled photons to resolve a long-standing debate in the early history of quantum mechanics."

• Time and Money Conference, January 17, New York, New York
• Photonics West and Quantum West, January 28 - February 2, San Francisco, CA
• Workshop on Synchronization and Timing Systems, March 13 - 16, Vancouver, Canada
• Satellite 2023, March 13 - 16, Washington DC
• Space Symposium, April 17 - 20, Colorado Springs, CO

There was a noticeable increase in solar activity in 2022 as the sun nears the peak of a coronal mass ejections (CME) cycle.
This has raised concerns that a major solar event could disrupt GPS and other satellites, and possibly lead to power outages, train delays, and an “internet apocalypse."
Consider these close calls over the last year:

• February 21 - SpaceX lost 38 satellites due to an increase in atmospheric density caused by a solar storm.
• April 19 - a powerful solar flare caused satellite and radio disruptions over Asia.
• June 17 - a massive solar flare sideswiped the Earth.
• June 25 - a surprise geomagnetic storm “caused by two streams of solar wind meeting” hit the Earth.
• July 19 - a solar storm hit the Earth that made “GPS reception a bit dicey.”

So best be prepared as more giant flares are expected in the next few years.

To learn more, please email us or schedule a meeting here.