SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer: Eiichi Yonekura) announced today the launch schedule of the Optical Communication Device, which was built in the “Study and Development of Satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Cryptography Technology1 in Satellite Communication”2 by Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). From June 2018, SKY Perfect JSAT has been entrusted with this project by MIC. We will launch the device for optical communications and conduct proof-of-principle experiments.
　Demonstration experiments using the optical communication device will be conducted between space and ground as an extension of the “Optical Demonstration between Tokyo Skytree to Ground” conducted in December 2022. Optical communications equipment is mounted on NG-193, a resupply mission for the International Space Station (ISS).

1.Scheduled launch date: August 2, 2023 (JST)
2.Launch location: NASA Wallops Flight Facility Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
3.Launcher: Northrop Grumman (Antares Rocket)
4.Onboard equipment: Optical communication device

The latest information about the launch can be found at this site.
https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/nasa-commercial-resupply-mission-ng-19/

1 Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Cryptography Technology: Cryptography technology that has no danger of decoding even when computational technology advances.
2 “Study and Development of Satellite-based QKD and Cryptography Technology in Satellite Communication” : This study and development was implemented as part of “Research and Development of Quantum Encryption Technology for Satellite Communications” in the MIC’s “Research and Development Project for ICT Priority Technology”.
3 NG-19: Resupply mission to the ISS. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will be launched to transport supplies by berthing to the ISS’s Unity module.

Attachment

Figure 1: Photograph of the Optical Communication Device

Figure 2: Image of the Experiments between ISS and Ground