Quantum Alternative to GPS Will Be Tested on the US Military’s X-37B Spaceplane
1 min read
Summary
On Thursday, the US military’s X-37B spaceplane embarked on its eighth flight into space, and while most of its mission is undercover, it’s serving as a platform for experiments, one of which is a potential alternative to GPS that uses quantum science for navigation.
While GPS is used widely and is ubiquitous in daily life, it is not always available in some environments, so the new tech could navigate spacecraft, airplanes, ships and submarines when GPS is compromised or unavailable, which is a critical challenge.
The quantum-based alternative makes use of quantum inertial sensors and uses atom interferometry, a technique that cools atoms to temperatures near absolute zero so they behave like waves, which are then split into a superposition state.
The patterns created from this interferometry provides detailed information about the environment and motion of the atom and has a much higher sensitivity than classical inertial navigation systems.
This can then be used for navigation and could be a game-changer in future space exploration.
