Comparative Analysis of Secure QKD Protocols for Small Satellites Constellation

Nowadays, everyone uses Internet, do financial transactions and many other day-to-day activities. As the users are becoming more and more aware of the privacy, data security had become a prime concern. Quantum Internet inspires to be a possible solution. Quantum Internet uses quantum key distribution to provide security by generating symmetric keys for the data transfer. Newly developed technologies and manufacturing processes paved way for designing and development of small satellites. Small satellites can be launched in forms of clusters at a marginal cost of launching large communication satellites. Here, we review the basic concepts of quantum key distribution. Its application in satellite communication specifically using CubeSat satellites. We also touch upon the recent development in the field of satellite-based QKD systems. A brief on the major milestones and important small satellite mission is also presented. Further, we present a comparison study between the prominent QKD algorithms pertaining to their application in satellite-based QKD systems. We conclude the article with discussion on the applications, advantages and disadvantages of using QKD on satellite-based communication networks, further extending it from local area networks to worldwide Internet.

Automated summary

Nowadays, with the increasing use of Internet for financial transactions and day-to-day activities, data security has become a prime concern. Quantum Internet provides a possible solution by using quantum key distribution for secure data transfer. The development of small satellites, such as CubeSat, opens up new possibilities for satellite communication and the application of quantum key distribution. This article reviews the basic concepts of quantum key distribution, its application in satellite communication using CubeSat, recent developments in satellite-based QKD systems, and a comparison of prominent QKD algorithms for satellite-based communication networks.