Sherbrooke, Que.-based deeptech startup SBQuantum is preparing to launch its quantum sensor into space on Monday, kicking off its quest to monitor Earth’s magnetic field and prepare for a post-GPS world.
The company will stow its quantum diamond magnetometer on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare, which will take off sometime around 6:20 a.m. EST on March 30. The launch is part of the MagQuest Challenge, led by the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, to identify new technology that can monitor Earth’s magnetic field to ensure the accuracy of the World Magnetic Model (WMM). SBQuantum is competing in the challenge as part of a partnership with space data analytics firm Spire Global.
“Quantum sensing is the next frontier.”
David Roy-Guay,
SBQuantum
According to SBQuantum, the WMM underpins navigational systems used in smartphones, commercial airline flight routing, and military operations. Despite its importance, SBQuantum said that the satellites collecting the data for the WMM are approaching the end of their life and only take periodic snapshots of the magnetic field.
As Earth’s magnetic North Pole has shifted in position quite fast over the past couple of decades, navigational systems may not work properly if the WMM doesn’t keep up.
The company claims its quantum diamond magnetometer delivers continuous, highly detailed monitoring of the magnetic field and its movement. The sensor also makes way for magnetic navigation, which SBQuantum said can provide reliable and accurate readings across all environments, unlike GPS, which uses satellite signals that can be weak or contested. SBQuantum added that these traits make magnetic navigation a strategic priority for defence and aerospace sectors seeking GPS alternatives in the era of electronic warfare.
There have been many recorded instances of GPS signals being jammed or even spoofed to make something technically appear where it physically isn’t. Even outside of malicious intent, GPS signals can simply malfunction or become weak above certain latitudes, like in the Arctic, because no satellites are passing overhead. These are the kinds of vulnerabilities quantum sensors look to solve.
In fact, Quantum sensors are one of Canada’s recognized “key sovereign capabilities” under the recently unveiled Defence Industrial Strategy. SBQuantum founder David Roy-Guay said in a statement that “quantum sensing is the next frontier.”
“Our technology has now been validated for the most demanding conditions imaginable, and we are proud to bring to market a device which could soon play a central role in how the world navigates on land, air, and sea,” Roy-Guay said. “Applications for this sensor go far beyond the WMM itself, from defense and navigation to resource exploration and public safety.”
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Quantum sensing uses quantum properties, such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum coherence, to precisely detect and measure changes in environments. These measurements can be of time, magnetic fields, temperature, gravity, and other characteristics. SBQuantum specializes in creating sensors that use a specific type of diamond, known as nitrogen vacancy diamonds, to measure magnetic fields. The company uses the quantum properties of these diamonds to develop its quantum magnetometer to analyze magnetic fields without requiring precise positioning.
The final phase of the MagQuest Challenge is expected to conclude this fall, SBQuantum said, with the results informing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s WMM data collection strategy.