NASA taps Quantum Computing Inc. to support quantum sensing for space lidar missions

HOBOKEN, N.J. - Quantum Computing Inc., an integrated photonics and quantum optics technology company based in Hoboken, N.J., announced that the company has been awarded a fifth project from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop quantum remote sensing technology that would significantly lower the cost of spaceborne lidar imaging and advance scientific understanding of the mechanisms of climate change.

This project is part of an ongoing collaboration to develop a new approach to lidar technology for atmospheric remote sensing. The project, currently under development by QCi, aims to significantly reduce the cost of lidar missions, enabling NASA to conduct more frequent flights to better study climate change.

The contract represents a milestone in evaluating the feasibility of QCi’s technology for NASA’s remote sensing needs. It also marks a step toward deploying the technology in lidar missions and exploring its use in areas such as civilian and military surveillance.

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"QCi is honored to support NASA in this critical mission dedicated to advancing remote sensing and climate change monitoring. This new technology aims to reduce the cost of lidar missions from billions to millions and ultimately will help us in understanding the root causes of climate change and contribute to NASA's efforts to protect the earth's environment," said Dr. William McGann, QCi’s Chief Executive Officer.

The contract builds on QCi’s previous work with NASA, which involved reducing sunlight interference in satellite lidar images. The company used its Dirac-3 entropy quantum optimization machine to simulate background noise and turn the denoising process into an optimization task.