Researchers from China and South Africa used a low-cost microsatellite and portable ground stations to create the world's longest quantum communications link, Chinese media reported.
According to the media, the scientists used China's quantum microsatellite Jinan-1 to build a link between Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a site in Beijing run by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China.
The team transmitted two images – of the Great Wall of China and the Stellenbosch University campus – over a distance of 12,900 km via satellite.
“This achievement serves as a strong foundation for our future plans of launching multiple microsatellites and establishing a vast network of [optical ground stations], leading us towards the realization of a practical quantum constellation," a scientist said as quoted by the media.
According to him, in the near future, a global quantum network with revolutionary communication capabilities is expected.