China has launched its latest challenge to US supremacy in space: a satellite that will test whether communications can be rendered hack-proof.
In contrast to previous Chinese initiatives, which replicated the achievements of US and Russian space programmes of decades ago, the satellite would — if successful — put China at the forefront of a new technology.
Micius, named after an ancient Chinese scientist and philosopher, was launched early yesterday from a military base in the Gobi desert. Photons, or light particles, will be fired at it to see whether quantum physics will allow the secure encryption of long-range communication.
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