Craft Prospect, a space engineering company based in Glasgow, says conversations at a string of industry events over recent months point to growing appetite for quantum technologies in space. The firm took part in discussions across the UK, Europe, Japan and the United States about the future of secure communications.
Senior Quantum Engineer Andrew Kelly spoke at two events this year. At the 9th Annual ScyLight Conference in Tenerife, he joined the Quantum Mission session to discuss the quantum and optical CubeSat payloads being developed for the €20 million OPS-SAT VOLT mission. The conference gathered leaders from across Europe and served as a forum for considering how emerging quantum capabilities could be built into future space systems.
At Newton Q 2026, Kelly gave a talk titled 'From Optical Table to Orbit: Quantum Technology for Industry and Space'. It covered the engineering challenges of turning quantum research into deployable products and space-qualified systems. Craft Prospect reports that discussions at the event pointed to rising interest in quantum communications, cybersecurity, photonics and the infrastructure needed for future quantum networks.
International cooperation was another theme. In July, Managing Director Steve Greenland took part in talks on UK-Japan collaboration, space security and the technologies needed for secure and resilient space infrastructure at SPACETIDE 2026 in Tokyo. The company said those conversations reinforced a trend of nations exploring how quantum technologies can support future national capabilities.
Also in July, Quantum Technology Lead Natalie Pearson and Sales Engineer Rory Ireland attended ESA's Quantum Technology Workshop. They spoke with organisations from across the European space sector about emerging technologies and possible future partnerships.
In August, the focus at SmallSat 2026 in Salt Lake City shifted from concepts to implementation, according to the company. Head of Engineering Kevin Quillien presented work on The Quantum CubeSat. Head of Commercial Hina Khan and AI Lead Lucy Donnell showed progress on OPS-SAT VOLT alongside partners Bright Ascension. Craft Prospect said the response showed significant interest in missions that can demonstrate secure communications, optical networking, autonomy and quantum-enabled technologies in orbit.
One message was consistent across the events: organisations want to move past theory and test quantum technologies in realistic operating conditions. That demand is one reason Craft Prospect is developing a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Space Network Emulator. The platform is intended to give industry, researchers and mission teams a practical environment to demonstrate, integrate and test QKD technologies before deployment, with the aim of reducing risk and speeding up development.
Craft Prospect argues that facilities allowing rapid experimentation and validation will matter more as momentum builds around secure communications and quantum networking. It also sees optical communications, quantum-secure networking, QKD and intelligent autonomous platforms converging as they mature, and describes them as key enablers of what it calls the next generation of Smart Secure Space.
With quantum technologies increasingly shifting from research toward deployment, the company says it will keep building the capabilities needed to support more secure, resilient and intelligent space systems.
