NASA Glenn establishes aircraft-ground quantum link with PC-12

NASA Glenn Research Center announced a successful U.S. first by establishing a quantum link between an aircraft and a ground station, transmitting photons and recording data in flight using a PC-12 aircraft. The author explores how this builds on Germany's 2013 air-to-ground quantum key distribution milestone and leverages NASA's existing classical free-space laser communication testbeds to tackle the size, weight, and power challenges of securing drone and unmanned aircraft communications. Open article →