The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are testing SBQuantum’s quantum diamond magnetometers under contract for use on Earth observation satellites.
Based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, SBQuantum’s quantum diamond magnetometers are designed to provide a highly compact alternative for measuring magnetic fields from space using economical CubeSats. Variations in these fields can be used to detect the nature and size of mineral deposits, the location of military assets, and to provide autonomous vehicles with positional data in GPS-denied environments.
ESA is testing the accuracy and reliability of SBQuantum’s magnetometers for use in a range of satellite-based applications. These include applications that study the Earth’s overall magnetic environment, and the monitoring of magnetic storms that can disrupt communications and navigation and communications on this planet. “The technology is promising, and we are optimistic that its advantages can be realized in space as well,” said Aaron Strangfeld, Quantum Engineer at ESA.
Meanwhile, the CSA has been testing SBQuantum’s magnetometers at an altitude of 40km under the STRATOS Program, which conducts experiments using stratospheric balloons. The CSA’s Flights test the magnetometer’s ability to collect precise data in temperatures as low as -60 Celsius (-76 Fahrenheit) and low-pressure environments, while also being exposed to radiation. The STRATOS project will also demonstrate magnetic field-based positioning — whose signal cannot be jammed — through the use of SBQuantum’s diamond magnetometer. At a time when Russia has been accused of jamming GPS signals in central Europe, a jam-free alternative to GPS is needed by civilian and military users alike.
Collectively, “these contracts are further evidence of the tremendous potential of the quantum diamond magnetometers we are commercializing at SBQuantum,” said David Roy-Guay, CEO and Cofounder of SBQuantum. “Years of investment, research, and development are now beginning to pay off, as leading organizations in space exploration are acknowledging that our hardware has the potential to provide an important advantage over existing technologies. Furthermore, these sensors can be deployed for a range of applications, and therefore provide significant value to the user at a fraction of the cost of the legacy technologies currently in use. We’d like to thank both ESA and the CSA for their confidence in us, and we look forward to cultivating a long and fruitful relationship with both of these prestigious organizations.”
ESA and CSA tests are currently underway. SBQuantum expects that positive results from these tests will boost its business, and open up new opportunities for its quantum diamond magnetometers to be used for guiding rovers on the surface of other planets, and mapping minerals under the Moon’s surface.
Previous to these tests, SBQuantum’s magnetometer was selected as a finalist in the MagQuest Challenge, which is run by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (part of the U.S. Department of Defence) in partnership with the NASA Tournament Lab. As a finalist, SBQuantum will see its magnetometer being sent into space for testing. The flight should take place sometime in 2025.