Creotech Instruments has completed negotiations regarding the offer for the design and production of prototypes of large-area detectors based on superconducting nanowire technology for the European Space Agency (ESA), the company announced. The project will be implemented with foreign subcontractors. The company will act as the project leader and will be responsible for electronics and testing. The total value of the project is approximately EUR 1 million, including approximately EUR 400,000. euro falls on Creotech.
“The detector that will be built as part of the project has two applications. First, it is a key component of the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network and will be used in ground stations to receive the key from the satellite. Secondly, it will be used in optical communication. Both technologies are being developed and implemented in Europe under dedicated ESA and European Commission programs, in particular EuroQCI, ARTES, SAGA and ScyLight.
Ultimately, quantum key distribution is to be implemented in critical infrastructures across Europe in the coming years and is to cover both terrestrial networks and satellite connections. Optical communication, on the other hand, allows for much more effective data transfer than radio. In the opinion of the management board, proper implementation of the project will enable the company to enter both of these future markets.
Creotech Instruments is the largest Polish company that produces and supplies space technologies and specialized electronics and apparatus to the global market, including for the needs of quantum computers, quantum cryptography or laboratories of quantum physics and high energy. The company debuted on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange in July 2022, moving from the NewConnect market.