SES Selects Arianespace to Launch EAGLE-1 Satellite for Europe’s Quantum Cryptography
9.11.2022 10:50:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
The EAGLE-1 satellite, which will support the end-to-end secure Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system for Europe, will be launched for SES by Arianespace on a Vega C rocket from French Guiana as early as Q4 2024. The satellite will be placed into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The EAGLE-1 project comprising satellite and ground infrastructure, is developed by SES and its consortium of 20 European partners, with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission support.
Under the recently-signed agreement with ESA, SES and its partners will design, develop, launch and operate a satellite-based end-to-end QKD system for the purpose of testing and validating space-based secure transmission of cryptographic keys. The first European sovereign space-based QKD system will include the dedicated low earth orbit (LEO) EAGLE-1 satellite and state-of-the-art QKD operations centre in Luxembourg. In the scope of EuroQCI, the EAGLE-1 satellite will enable early access, validation, and integration of space-based QKD for EU Member States.
“Building the EAGLE-1 end-to-end system for secure data transmission and validating the long-distance Quantum Key Distribution technology is an innovative project that will benefit the EU Member States,” said Ruy Pinto, Chief Technology Officer at SES. “We have been working with Arianespace for decades to deliver our satellites into space and are delighted for them to be onboard to launch the EAGLE-1 satellite into orbit.”
“We are delighted and honored by this renewed mark of confidence from the leading global content connectivity service provider SES,” noted Marino Fragnito, Director of Arianespace’s Vega business unit. “Over the last 38 years, Arianespace has carried out 42 launches for its longstanding partner, and Vega C will now continue this successful track record. It is a great honor for us to support our customer’s ambitions and to be part of this mission that aims at implementing Europe’s satellite-enabled cybersecurity technology.”
Following the launch, the EAGLE-1 satellite will complete three years of in-orbit mission supported by the European Commission. During this operational phase, the satellite will allow European Union governments and institutions, as well as critical business sectors, early access to long-distance QKD that would path the way towards an EU constellation enabling ultra-secure data transmissions.
The EAGLE-1 project is co-funded by the ESA contribution of Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic under ARTES, as well as the European Commission through Horizon Europe.
Vega C, the new European light launcher successfully passed its inaugural flight on July 13 and now enters its operational phase under the responsibility of Arianespace. With this contract, Vega C backlog includes over 40 satellites contracts.
Vega C development program has been managed by ESA with 12 Member States of the Agency. Avio Spa (Colleferro, Italy) is the industrial prime of the Vega launch system. Vega C has been upgraded with more powerful first and second stage Solid Rocket Motors and with a larger fairing, which significantly increases payload mass and double allowable volume as compared to Vega. The launcher also better meets the specific needs of small spacecrafts, thanks to its improved SSMS dispenser and to its AVUM+ that allows seven re-ignitions instead of five. Vega C can thus deliver to three different separation orbits for its multiple payloads within the same mission, instead of the two previously possible with Vega.
For more information, visit the EAGLE-1 Newsroom
Follow SES on:
Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram
Follow Arianespace on:
Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram
About ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. For more information see www.esa.int
The Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Directorate (TIA) supports innovation to boost the competitiveness of European industry in the global space market. This involves a wide range of activities, from space-based technology, systems, products for telecommunications development to the down-to-Earth application of space-based services. It also calls for engagement with a wide range of industrial, academic, and institutional partners. For more information, please visit our website: https://artes.esa.int/
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries ~8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 366 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.
About Arianespace
Arianespace uses Space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited over 1,100 satellites since 1980. Arianespace is responsible for operating the new-generation Ariane 6 and Vega C launchers, developed by ESA, with respectively ArianeGroup and Avio as industrial primes. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, which holds 74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 15 other shareholders from the Ariane and Vega European launcher industry, and ESA and Cnes as censors.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221108006349/en/
Contact information
For further information:
Suzanne Ong
External Communications, SES
Tel. +352 710 725 500
suzanne.ong@ses.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SWISSto12 and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership14.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
SWISSto12 today announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) (TOKYO: 6503) to pursue joint opportunities on advanced payloads, radio frequency (RF) products, and market development in Japan and the APAC region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914982179/en/ Masahiko Arai, Executive Officer and Group President, Defense & Space Systems, Mitsubishi Electric, and Dr. Emile de Rijk, Chief Executive Officer, SWISSto12 Joint opportunities will leverage MELCO’s extensive satellite system expertise and integration capabilities together with SWISSto12’s proprietary 3D-printing designs and processes that form the foundation of its next-generation payloads—smaller, lighter, highly performant, yet built in materially shorter timeframes. The MoU underscores growing market adoption of SWISSto12’s HummingLink payload technology that leverages 3D-printing, with more than 2,000 pr
U.S. FDA Accepts New Drug Application Under Priority Review for Takeda’s Zasocitinib in Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis, with Potential to Redefine Oral Treatment Expectations14.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) under Priority Review for zasocitinib (TAK-279) for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Zasocitinib is an investigational, next-generation, highly selective and potent oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, which demonstrated rapid, durable and consistent skin clearance in Phase 3 plaque psoriasis studies.1-3 Addressing unmet needs in psoriasis treatment “Despite progress in psoriasis care, there remains a need for highly effective oral therapies that also address the diverse and often challenging manifestations of psoriasis, including involvement of high-impact sites like the scalp,” said Andy Plump, M.D., Ph.D., president of R&D at Takeda. “Our Phase 3 data demonstrated rapid and durable skin clearance across various patient types and in high-impact and hard-to-treat areas. Based on the results across nearly 3,000 patients, zaso
Thales Builds Cryptographic Security for the Age of AI and Post-Quantum Computing14.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
According to the 2026 Thales Data Threat Report, the threat of Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks was the top-cited risk, with 59% of organizations reporting that they are prototyping and evaluating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms to prepare for the quantum era. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260804748922/en/ ©Thales To help organizations turn this readiness into deployment,Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, today announced the launch of Luna 8, its next-generation hardware security module. Designed for the transition to post-quantum cryptography, Luna 8 enables organizations to securely store, protect, and manage cryptographic keys with market-leading performance, scalability, and speed. As organizations face growing pressure from emerging quantum threats, expanding AI workloads and evolving stringent regulatory requirements, Luna 8 provides the performance, security and cryp
Focused Support Launches Cavok STRIKE to Expand Link-16 Participation Across the Joint Force14.9.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Focused Support LLC today announced the launch of Cavok STRIKE, an integrated software capability that expands the Link-16 tactical battlespace picture by enabling additional operational platforms to participate in the Link-16 network. Modern battlefields have increasing numbers of unmanned systems, sensors, and supporting platforms operating throughout the joint battlespace. The rapid proliferation of Group 1, 2, and 3 UAS, including both expendable and recoverable systems, has created a growing need to integrate these assets into the broader tactical network. Many of these platforms provide operationally relevant information but have historically remained outside the Link-16 network due to limitations in size, weight, power, platform integration complexity, or acquisition cost. Cavok STRIKE addresses this gap by enabling platforms to participate in the Link-16 network as non-command-and-control participants. This allows those platforms to interoperate with traditional Link-16 platfor
Fujirebio Expands Access to Blood-based Neurology Testing in Brazil with ANVISA Market Authorization for Lumipulse® G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma14.9.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
H.U. Group Holdings Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Fujirebio today announced that the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) has granted market authorization for the Lumipulse G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma assays for use on the fully automated LUMIPULSE® G immunoassay platform in Brazil. “ANVISA authorization of the Lumipulse G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma assays marks another important step in our mission to expand access to reliable, clinically meaningful blood-based biomarkers for clinicians and patients worldwide,” said Christiaan De Wilde, CEO of Fujirebio Europe N.V. “By making both neurological biomarker assays available to laboratories on a single, fully automated platform, we are helping support more informed clinical decision-making across a broad range of neurological conditions and throughout the diagnostic pathway.” The Brazilian ANVISA authorizations are based on the already CE marked in vitro diagnostics (IVD) approvals of these two
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom