Investing in student programs is essential for America’s lead in space

The University of Illinois' Space Entanglement and Annealing Quantum Experiment (SEAQUE) is a compelling success story in the global race to develop quantum communication networks in space. The experiment's success was enabled by a novel collaboration approach across academia, industry and government. As such, SEAQUE is more than a physics experiment.

Backed by NASA, the International Space Station National Laboratory (ISSNL), and partnerships with the Jet Propulsion Lab and Aegis Aerospace, SEAQUE was designed to investigate and validate technologies critical to future quantum networks. The experiment incorporates a novel entanglement source and two sensor annealing techniques to "heal" radiation damage in single-photon detectors, components that are essential to creating secure global quantum communications. SEAQUE is a showcase of what can happen when universities, federal agencies and commercial providers come together to empower the next generation of innovators.

Student teams were at the heart of SEAQUE's development. They faced the full complexity of building space hardware, dealing with design, safety standards and environmental qualification tests. These students gained firsthand experience working with real flight constraints while collaborating with industry engineers and federal partners.