Quantum computer boldly goes where no quantum computer has gone before: Space

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: There's big news from the quantum world. A quantum computer has been used in space for the first time.

The device was aboard a spacecraft in low Earth orbit and demonstrated technology that could eventually help solve a problem that has been bugging satellites for years. The issue is that when orbiting satellites send their raw data back down to Earth, bottlenecks and bandwidth limits slow everything down. One way to overcome this would be to process the raw data in situ before sending it.

So a team of physicists led by Philip Walther at the University of Vienna came up with a way that could eventually do just that. Their solution was to build a quantum photonic processor that uses individual light particles, or photons, to perform complex operations using compact optical hardware. But taking the idea from the drawing board to orbit was not without its challenges.

Quantum photonic systems are delicate, and radiation, large temperature changes and the vacuum of space could damage their components or disrupt their operation. The quantum photonic processor, which consisted of a photon-pair source, a six-mode integrated glass circuit chip, single-photon detectors and control electronics, was loaded aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It was launched into low Earth orbit on June 23, 2025.

Once it arrived in orbit, the real work began. To process information, the system shines a laser through a crystal to create pairs of photons. It then sends those light particles through a tiny glass circuit, controlling how they travel and interfere using microscopic heaters.

Finally, sensitive detectors catch the light at the other end to measure where the photons emerge. There was a hitch: Half the photon detectors were no longer working after launch, leaving the team with just three of the original six. Despite that setback, the mission achieved its core goals.