01732 759725 magazine 35 NETWORKS “This facility isn’t just an academic research tool, it’s an economic catalyst. Scotland’s space industry already supports 8,000 jobs and generates £880 million annually, but with infrastructure like HOGS, we’re creating the environment for this to grow significantly. “For Scottish and UK businesses working in the space sector, HOGS offers access to world-class testing facilities without the multi-millionpound infrastructure investment. Companies developing everything from sensitive cameras to optical transceivers can validate their technologies here before taking them to market.” She added: “We’re creating a vibrant space technology cluster at our Research Park which is already home to specialists like Celestia UK. We’re integrating academia and industry through a co‑location model that will accelerate innovation, particularly in sectors like financial services, healthcare and critical infrastructure that will benefit most from quantum-secure communications.” HOGS will also serve as an educational resource for local schools, hosting visits where students can observe satellite tracking in real-time and learn about quantum physics and space technology through hands-on demonstrations. https://www.hw.ac.uk/ illuminating-tomorrow capability. The experiments to be undertaken with HOGS represent a key next step to establishing this capability.” Multiple applications The HOGS facility features a 4.5-metre-diameter observatory dome housing a high-precision 70-centimetre telescope equipped with advanced tracking systems and environmental monitoring tools. Imminent additions include stateof-the-art single-photon detectors and adaptive optics systems capable of exchanging quantumencrypted information with orbiting satellites – a technology that could eventually form the backbone of an ultra-secure quantum internet within the UK. A secondary 40-centimetre telescope with visible and infrared cameras provides additional capabilities for space imaging and debris monitoring, another key focus for HOGS alongside highspeed optical communications and cybersecurity. Dr Donaldson said: “Our northern latitude gives us a unique advantage for tracking satellites and debris in polar orbits because we can observe objects for longer periods than stations located closer to the equator, potentially identifying smaller debris fragments that currently go undetected but pose serious collision risks to operational satellites.” A living laboratory Unlike standalone facilities, the new optical ground station, the first of its kind in the UK, has been integrated into Heriot-Watt University’s dark optical-fibre network, creating a living laboratory where scientists and visiting businesses, including those working in the space sector, can test new technologies in a controlled environment before real-world deployment, significantly reducing development time and cost. Professor Gillian Murray, Deputy Principal of Business and Enterprise at Heriot-Watt University, said: Following the official opening of Heriot-Watt University’s new £2.5 million Optical Ground Station on National Space Day, May 2, the university is inviting businesses to use the world-class quantum facility to develop next-generation communications networks. The Quantum Communications Hub Optical Ground Station (aka HOGS) at Heriot-Watt University’s Research Park in Edinburgh uses advanced laser technology to communicate with satellites via optical links, rather than traditional radio frequency communications, bringing significantly higher data rates and improved security. Dr Ross Donaldson, project lead from Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, said: “This facility represents a quantum leap for UK communications security. With cyber threats evolving daily, we urgently need to create networks that are secured by the laws of physics, not by encryption that could be broken by future technologies. “HOGS allows us to research a technique called quantum key distribution between space and the ground, and vice versa. This is about creating encryption keys that cannot be intercepted or hacked without detection. “For businesses handling sensitive data, the protocols we’re developing here could revolutionise how they protect customer information and intellectual property. Our work directly addresses the estimated £27 billion annual cost of cybercrime to UK businesses and therefore benefits everyone.” Professor Tim Spiller, Director of the Quantum Communications Hub project, of which HOGS is part, added: “Quantum secure communications will still protect data – for governments, businesses and individuals – in a future fully quantum-enabled world. We know already that such communications work with optical fibres, but clearly to address data security on a global scale we must add satellite New optical ground station to facilitate development of unhackable next-generation communications networks A quantum leap for the UK (l-r) Dr Andrew Green, postdoctoral research associate; Dr Ross Donaldson, Project Lead; and Cameron Simmons, postdoctoral research associate
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