Quantum Experiments at Space Scale
| Names | Quantum Space Satellite Micius / Mozi |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Technology demonstrator |
| Operator | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| COSPAR ID | 2016-051A |
| SATCAT no. | 41731 |
| Mission duration | 2 years (planned) 8 years, 10 months, 5 days (in progress) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| BOL mass | 631 kg (1,391 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 August 2016, 17:40 UTC |
| Rocket | Long March 2D |
| Launch site | Jiuquan LA-4 |
| Contractor | Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Perigee altitude | 488 km (303 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 584 km (363 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.4 degrees |
| Transponders | |
| Band | Ultraviolet |
| Instruments | |
| Sagnac interferometer | |
Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS; Chinese: 量子科学实验卫星; pinyin: Liàngzǐ kēxué shíyàn wèixīng; lit. 'Quantum Science Experiment Satellite'), is a Chinese research project in the field of quantum physics. QUESS was launched on 15 August 2016.
The project consists of the satellite Micius, or Mozi (Chinese: 墨子), after the ancient Chinese philosopher, operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as ground stations in China. The University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences are running the satellite's European receiving stations. The satellite conducted Space-Earth quantum key distribution (Chinese: 量子密钥分发) experiments, facilitated by laser communications experiment carried on Tiangong-2 space laboratory module.