Insider Brief
SES and Airbus Netherlands will build a dedicated optical ground station in Noordwijk, Netherlands, to support the EAGLE-1 satellite’s quantum key distribution communications.
The facility will use laser-based optical links to receive quantum-safe keys from EAGLE-1, supporting future secure communications for government and financial sector users.
The ground station is part of Europe’s EAGLE-1 initiative, which aims to demonstrate satellite-based quantum-secure communication using QKD technology.
Press release – SES, a space solutions company, jointly with Airbus Netherlands B.V. signed a ground lease agreement with the Dutch municipality of Noordwijk for a plot at the NL Space Campus, next to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) technical center ESTeC. The facility will host a dedicated optical ground station (OGS) to communicate with the EAGLE-1 satellite and receive quantum safe keys via laser technology.
