China launched the first quantum satellite, Micius, in 2016.
The satellite was part of China’s Quantum Experiments at Space Scale project, usually abbreviated QUESS. It launched on August 16, 2016, in local Chinese time, aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Its official launch time was August 15 in UTC because of the time-zone difference.
Micius was named after Mozi, an ancient Chinese philosopher whose name is also rendered as Micius. Operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the satellite was designed to test quantum communication and quantum physics over enormous distances. Its experiments included distributing entangled photon pairs between ground stations and demonstrating satellite-based quantum key distribution.
The milestone is sometimes confused with ordinary communications satellites that use encryption. Micius was significant because it explored communication based on quantum states, where measurement can reveal interference with the signal. It did not make all satellite communication automatically unbreakable, but it demonstrated technologies that could support highly secure networks and long-distance tests of quantum mechanics.