“Unhackable from Orbit!” – How a 4 kg CubeSat Just Kicked‑Off the Race for a Global Quantum‑Secure Internet
On 23 June 2025 at 07:18 UTC, the Falcon 9 lifted the QUICK³ nano-satellite into a 550 km sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base during SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare, with payload separation confirmed nine minutes after launch. The QUICK³ spacecraft weighs 4 kg and is a 3-U CubeSat (10 × 10 × 30 cm) with a primary experiment window of 6 minutes per 97-minute orbit. QUICK³ aims to bypass fiber-based quantum key distribution limits by sending true single photons through near-vacuum upper atmosphere to enable intercontinental quantum-secure links. A hexagonal-boron-nitride colour centre single-photon source emits at 650–700 nm, paired with