Thales Alenia Space signs ESA contract for SAGA Quantum mission

Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Secure And cryptoGrAphic (SAGA) mission. The agreement covers the system definition and preliminary design of a fully European end-to-end Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system for governmental use.

The SAGA mission, introduced at ESA’s 2019 Ministerial Council and refined in 2022, forms the space-based element of the EuroQCI initiative, developed in close collaboration with the European Commission. It is funded under ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES), part of the Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications, with support from multiple national space agencies including ASI, DLR, ASA, AEE, NSO, CNES, and SSO. Additional partners are expected to join as the mission progresses.

“With SAGA, our aim is to ambitiously advance satellite communications, furthering Europe’s digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and industrial competitiveness in the quantum era,” said Laurent Jaffart, Director of ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications.

Thales Alenia Space CEO Hervé Derrey added: “By leveraging our expertise in secure space communications and quantum technologies, we are proud to work with ESA and European agencies to build a resilient connectivity infrastructure that benefits governments and citizens, while paving the way for future commercial optical communications in Europe and worldwide.”

The contract was signed during the 2025 Quantum Europe Conference, which brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to strengthen Europe’s position in the global quantum technology ecosystem.

Thales Alenia Space has led the SAGA mission since 2020, developing a roadmap that includes a Low Earth Orbit QKD satellite, four SpaceQCI Access Nodes across Europe, and a Control Segment integrated with the terrestrial EuroQCI infrastructure. The mission aims to demonstrate secure QKD services, preparing Europe for future certification of its quantum communications systems.

Beyond SAGA, Thales Alenia Space is advancing several major quantum communications projects, including QKD-GEO, the world’s first quantum key distribution system from geostationary orbit; QINSAT, a space-based quantum information network mission; and TeQuants, focused on developing satellite technologies for quantum links. The company is also contributing to EuroQCI deployment initiatives in France, Italy, and across Europe.

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye