Honeywell ground optical station to support research at new UK Quantum Space Optics Lab

 Honeywell has successfully delivered and activated a new transportable ground optical station to support the opening and ongoing operations of the Quantum Optics Discovery (QOD) Lab at the University of Suffolk’s DigiTech Centre at BT Adastral Park. This new research facility will serve as a national hub for the development and testing of optical and quantum communications technologies for future secure space communications.  

The QOD Lab is the UK’s largest indoor optical research facility and will enable testing of laser communication systems, known as free space optics, under simulated atmospheric conditions including rain, fog, temperature variation and high winds. The facility is part of the Space East cluster and has been grant-funded by the UK Space Agency under its Space Cluster Infrastructure Fund, alongside contributions from commercial and academic partners.  

The facility will support research and commercial testing opportunities through sectors requiring secure and resilient communications infrastructure, including government, financial services, emergency services, and disaster recovery operations. The facility also supports broader UK ambitions to advance national quantum and space capabilities.  

“Secure and resilient communications continue to be a top priority for governments and critical industries. Emerging quantum-secure space communications technologies are uniquely positioned to address this growing need,” said Stefan Lespezeanu, Senior Offering Manager for Space, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “Facilities like the QOD Lab play a crucial role in helping to accelerate collaboration between industry, academia and government while advancing the development and adoption of these secure optical and quantum communications technologies.” 

Honeywell has provided QoD lab with its Transportable Optical Ground Station (TOGS), an advanced platform that supports quantum-secure communications and high-speed optical data transfer between Earth and low-Earth-orbit satellites. The system will support live testing with two satellites: the Quantum Encryption and Science satellite (QEYSSat) and Honeywell’s Quantum Key Distribution satellite (QKDSat). It will facilitate information sharing between the satellites, the QOD Lab at BT Adastral Park and Heriot-Watt University’s optical ground station in Edinburgh.  

“The QOD Lab represents a significant opportunity for Suffolk and the East of England to support the testing, research and development of optical communications – technology which will play an increasingly important role in the secure transfer of data and information”, said Professor Darryl Newport, Project Lead and Director of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute at the University of Suffolk.  

Honeywell’s TOGS platform is engineered to support quantum key distribution protocols and simultaneous high-speed optical links to low Earth orbit satellites. The system includes adaptive optics technology designed to maintain performance under atmospheric turbulence and can be remotely operated to support satellite communication scheduling and secure data transmission.  

The QOD Lab will support future research projects, commercial testing programs, and development of next-generation communications technologies for both terrestrial and space applications. Honeywell is an investor in the QOD Lab, contributing approximately £2 million to the project through investment and support associated with its TOGS technology.