Insider Brief
- SBQuantum has secured a new ~$1M USD contract with the European Space Agency to deliver an upgraded quantum diamond magnetometer prototype for Earth Observation missions.
- The project builds on a previous ESA contract and SBQuantum’s momentum from the MagQuest Challenge, with the new sensor offering higher sensitivity, greater accuracy, and increased bandwidth.
- Supported through Canada–ESA cooperation programs, the contract strengthens ongoing efforts to validate quantum magnetometers for space and terrestrial applications, from planetary navigation to security and geophysics.
PRESS RELEASE — SBQuantum, the first company developing quantum diamond magnetometers capable of providing accurate readings from space, today announces another new contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), one of the world’s leading space agencies.
Funded through ESA’s FutureEO Programme, the deal is worth nearly $1 million USD (€800,000) and will see SBQuantum deliver a new prototype of its quantum magnetometer sensor, optimized for Earth Observation (EO) missions in space. The upgraded version of the device will remain the same size and weight while delivering a number of enhanced capabilities including improved sensitivity (sub 100 Picotesla), higher bandwidth (400 Hz) and greater accuracy (200 Picotesla) as required by ESA for advanced EO missions.
This follows a previous contract which saw SBQuantum provide a magnetometer design to ESA, customized to meet its requirements for Earth observation. It also builds on momentum the company has gained through the ‘MagQuest Challenge’ where SBQuantum is one of 3 finalists. Organized by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, the winning technology from that challenge will be used to monitor Earth’s magnetic field and its movements for decades to come.
“Securing this second contract with ESA is the latest in a series of strong signals from the market indicating the vast potential our quantum magnetometers offer as a sensor deployed in space. The Earth and its ecosystem are evolving, and humankind needs to better monitor changes in ocean currents and temperatures, among many other transformations, so we can fully understand them, prepare and adapt,” said David Roy-Guay, CEO and Founder at SBQuantum. “A byproduct of demonstrating space readiness is that this doubles as a strong validation of terrestrial readiness for our hardware. By combining this highly accurate sensor with advanced interpretation algorithms, our Magnetic Intelligence product will also unlock novel security applications for an increasingly uncertain world. Our mission is to remain at the cutting edge of applied quantum sensing.”
ESA spends just over €600 million annually R&D and innovation, representing 8% of its total budget. Globally, there is approximately $3.5 billion available in direct government funding each year for startups developing new technologies for use in space.
“Our earlier research shows that diamond magnetometers may meet the performance needed for Earth observation. Now we need to prove that building such an instrument is possible,” added, Aaron Strangfeld, Quantum & Emerging Sensing Technologies Engineer at ESA.
SBQuantum was awarded this 21-month contract through a competitive tender, enabling continuation from an earlier feasibility study that explored this technology for ESA. The undertaking also represents another step in the growing trend of adapting quantum technologies for use in spaceborne missions.
The contract also builds on continued support from the Canadian Space Agency’s Space Technology Development Program (STDP), funded in part by Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.
This contract was made possible thanks to Canada’s unique status as the only non-European cooperating state of the ESA. Funded by the Canadian Space Agency, the Canada–ESA Program provides Canadian businesses with access to otherwise protected European space markets, fostering lasting relationships that often yield follow-on sales worth three times the original contract value.
Confirming the durability and accuracy of SBQuantum’s devices will then also pave the way for additional space-based applications ranging from attitude control and guiding rovers on the surface of other planets, to improving intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, public safety and an array of other possibilities. SBQuantum’s sensors can easily be mounted on small cube satellites and launched into orbit at a nominal cost, making precise, detailed data about the Earth’s magnetics and geophysics easily accessible to those stakeholders who require it for planning operations, mapping logistics or other relevant applications.
