Infleqtion's glass cell, the ultrahigh-vacuum chamber and optical interaction region for the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder sensor. Credit: Infleqtion
SAN FRANCISCO — Colorado-based quantum technology firm Infleqtion announced a $20 million NASA contract to continue work on a mission to launch the world’s first space-based quantum gravity sensor.
NASA awarded Infleqtion a follow-on contract, announced Aug. 27, to work on the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder (QGGPf), a mission led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With the award, NASA has invested $40 million in QGGPf.
Under the latest contract, Infleqtion will work through 2027 to build an initial sensor head and electronics engineering development unit and perform testing at the Einstein Elevator, a microgravity-testing facility in Germany.
“This follow-on award reflects the progress our team has made and marks an important step toward the mission’s next phase,” Infleqtion CEO Matt Kinsella said in a news release. “The path from quantum science to a system that can fly in space takes years of engineering, testing, and collaboration. Every milestone brings quantum sensing closer to enabling entirely new ways to observe our planet from orbit.”
