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India Today
22-06-2025
- India Today
The end of hacking? How Isro and DRDO are building an unhackable quantum future
In a world increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, securing data is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity. While today's encryption systems rely on mathematical complexity, the cybersecurity of tomorrow will be grounded in the laws of quantum the heart of this revolution is quantum entanglement, a phenomenon Albert Einstein famously described as 'spooky action at a distance.'advertisementIndia, through the collaborative efforts of Isro and DRDO, is taking bold steps to harness this concept and build hack-proof quantum communication systems that could secure everything from satellite signals to financial transactions. When you log into your bank account or send a private message, your password acts as a lock protected by complex mathematical algorithms. Even the most powerful supercomputer—like El Capitan at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, capable of 1.742 quintillion calculations per second—would take centuries to break this the looming threat is real: fully developed quantum computers could solve these puzzles in seconds. This means emails, bank transactions, and national secrets could be exposed instantly if we don't transition to quantum-secure communication. India currently lags in satellite-based execution. (Photo: Isro) advertisementGOING QUANTUMSo, how does quantum entanglement make communication secure?Imagine sending messages so secure that any attempt to hack them triggers an automatic alarm—like a cosmic tripwire. This is the promise of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). When two particles, such as photons, are entangled, their states remain linked regardless of distance. It's like rolling one magical die on Earth and seeing the same result on another at the edge of the a quantum setting, two users — commonly called Alice and Bob — exchange encryption keys using quantum particles. If a third party, Eve, tries to intercept the key, the quantum state is disturbed, immediately alerting the users to the transmitted through air, fiber optics, or satellites, quantum-secure communication ensures that any eavesdropping attempt is not just detectable — but automatically shuts down the process. With this technology, India is paving the way for a future where data is truly QUANTUM SECURITYThere are several ways to implement quantum-secure communication: through optical fibers, free-space air links, and increasingly, satellite-based quantum communication is well-suited for secure links within cities, while free-space communication is used for rooftop or mobile the real game-changer is satellite-based quantum communication, where satellites transmit quantum keys across hundreds—or even thousands—of is making significant strides in this domain. ISRO recently demonstrated entanglement-based quantum-secure communication over a 300-meter distance, where encrypted video was successfully decrypted using secure quantum keys transmitted via photons and lasers. In another breakthrough, DRDO, in collaboration with IIT Delhi, achieved hack-proof communication over a distance of more than 1 achievements are not only technologically sophisticated but also strategically vital for national defense and critical infrastructure GLOBAL SCENARIOGlobally, China leads the race with its Micius satellite, enabling secure Quantum communication over 1,200 kilometres, followed by pioneering urban experiments in Europe and the India currently lags in satellite-based execution, its dual-pronged civil-military approach gives it a unique 1 km free-space and 100 km fiber demonstrations are impressive but lag behind China's satellite Isro has already outlined plans for space-based quantum communication, and DRDO is targeting secure battlefield and rural deployment. Together, they are laying the foundation for a national quantum communication grid..@DRDO_India & @iitdelhi demonstrate Quantum Entanglement-Based Free-Space Quantum Secure Communication over more than 1 km distancePaves way for development in quantum cyber security, quantum networks & future quantum internetIndia has entered into a new quantum era of PIB India (@PIB_India) June 16, 2025advertisementWHY IT MATTERS TO YOUQuantum communication may sound like science fiction, but it is fast becoming a national priority. In an era where digital threats evolve faster than defences, India's focus on entanglement-based secure channels is more than a scientific milestone—it is a strategic embracing the strange yet powerful laws of quantum physics, India is preparing to leapfrog into a new age of secure, sovereign communication could make your online transactions, personal data, and even national security systems unhackable. As Isro and DRDO push toward a quantum internet, India is joining an elite group of nations building a secure digital future. With more investment, India's quantum leap could soon rival the world's best, ensuring your secrets stay safe in the quantum Watch
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Firefly Aerospace to launch 'Ocula' moon-imaging service as early as 2026
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Firefly Aerospace's lunar ambitions are growing. The Texas-based company, which successfully operated its Blue Ghost lander on the lunar surface earlier this year, announced today (June 18) that it's working on a new moon project: a "lunar imaging service" called Ocula. "Powered by a constellation of Elytra vehicles in lunar orbit, and eventually Mars orbit, Ocula will provide critical data that informs future human and robotic missions and supports national security with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," Firefly CEO Jason Kim said in an emailed statement. "This service will fill a void for our nation with advanced lunar imaging capabilities and a sustainable commercial business model." Firefly is developing its Elytra vehicle for a variety of uses in Earth orbit and deep space, including the region around the moon. The Ocula project will equip Elytra probes with high-resolution telescopes developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility in the California Bay Area. These scopes will be able to resolve features as small as 8 inches (20 centimeters) on the lunar surface from an altitude of 31 miles (50 kilometers), according to Firefly. "With ultraviolet and visible spectrum capabilities, the telescopes are designed to support situational awareness of other objects in cislunar space, enable fine-grained lunar surface details and identify concentrations of ilmenite, which indicates the presence of helium-3," Firefly representatives wrote in the emailed statement. (Helium-3, a potential fuel for future nuclear fusion reactors, is thought to be more abundant on the moon than it is on Earth.) Ocula data could also help researchers and planners select landing sites for future robotic or crewed missions, the company added. Firefly aims to license the data to both government and commercial customers. Related Stories: — 'We're on the moon!' Private Blue Ghost moon lander aces historic lunar landing for NASA — Watch sparks fly as Blue Ghost lander drills into the moon (video) — Watch the sun set over the moon in epic video from private Blue Ghost lunar lander If all goes according to plan, Ocula will kick off next year, on the second Blue Ghost lunar landing mission. An Elytra with an LLNL scope will serve as the transfer vehicle for that mission, which will put Blue Ghost down on the moon's far side (and also deliver a European Space Agency probe to lunar orbit). Elytra will serve as a communications relay for Blue Ghost and its payloads for the duration of the lander's roughly two-week-long surface mission. After those duties are done, Elytra will begin its Ocula work, imaging the lunar surface in detail for more than five years. Another scope-equipped Elytra will launch in 2028, on the third Blue Ghost mission. And other spacecraft will follow in the ensuing years, if all goes to plan. "Firefly will expand its constellation of Elytra vehicles in lunar orbit to further enhance the Ocula service and enable faster revisit times for situational awareness, resource detection and mission planning," Firefly wrote in the statement. "Longer term, the service can also be extended to Mars and other planetary bodies."
Geek Wire
10-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
AWS and national lab team up to deploy AI tools in pursuit of fusion energy
Sustainability: News about the rapidly growing climate tech sector and other areas of innovation to protect our planet. SEE MORE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility in Livermore, Calif. (LLNL Photo) Amazon Web Services is teaming up with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — home to the world's only facility to achieve fusion ignition — to develop artificial intelligence tools to advance the lab's efforts, the two announced today. AWS and LLNL's National Ignition Facility are working together to build an AI-driven troubleshooting and reliability system, and have already deployed generative AI capabilities into the fusion lab's operations. The focus is on using AI to produce real-time solutions to anomalies that arise in the research and addressing increasing operational demands. More than two years ago, NIF reported that it had produced more energy from a fusion reaction than went into it, an accomplishment known as ignition. Since then, the facility has hit that mark seven additional times, most recently in April when it nearly tripled the amount of energy produced in December 2022. Researchers internationally are trying to recreate the fusion reactions that power the Sun — developing 'star in a jar' technologies that will allow humanity to produce nearly limitless clean energy on Earth. That power is increasingly in demand as data centers continue expanding and other sectors of the economy are electrifying their operations. In the new partnership with the federal lab, AWS's AI could help solve the very energy consumption problems it is helping to create. The National Ignition Facility has hit ignition eight times in fusion experiments conducted at LLNL. (LLNL Chart) 'I'm excited to unleash the superpower that is AI on NIF operations,' said Kim Budil, director of LLNL, in a statement. 'By leveraging our extensive historical data through advanced AI techniques, we're solving today's problems faster and paving the way for predictive maintenance and even more efficient operations in the future.' Last week, Washington state companies Helion Energy, Zap Energy and Avalanche Energy participated in a Seattle-area summit to share their progress in working towards commercialized fusion. In the past they celebrated NIF's experiments as a validation that their ambitions are possible. No other facility anywhere has demonstrated fusion ignition, and NIF's objective is strictly research, as opposed to building reactors to put power on the grid. One of the interesting applications being pursued at NIF is unleashing AI on more than 98,000 archived problem logs stretching back 22 years. The documents are a trove of lessons learned, including symptoms, causes and the steps taken to fix the problems. A release from the California-based national lab said the partnership could 'establish a new standard for AI application in high-stakes scientific facilities and may influence operational approaches at other national laboratories.' David Appel, vice president of U.S. Federal Sales at AWS, called LLNL 'an innovation and scientific powerhouse, and we're extraordinarily proud of our partnership together.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Volcanic Eruptions Can Create Ice in The Sky, And We Finally Know How
Satellites soaring high above Earth have revealed exactly how wispy clouds are created by the giant plumes of ash belched upwards in a volcanic eruption. Volcanoes play a vital role in the cycles governing Earth's climate. When active volcanoes erupt, they release gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which can have a warming or cooling effect. Volcanic ash and dust are also released high in the atmosphere, injecting aerosols where clouds typically form. For some time, scientists have wondered how these aerosols affect cloud formation. In a new study, researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) concluded that volcanic ash particles can trigger the formation of wispy cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere by providing a nucleus that ice particles can glom onto – a process known as "ice nucleation." "Our research helps close a significant knowledge gap about whether and how volcanic eruptions influence cloud formation," says LLNL atmospheric scientist Lin Lin. "We show that volcanic ash particles can trigger ice cloud formation by acting as sites for ice nucleation. Clouds play a vital role in regulating Earth's climate and energy balance. In addition to covering about 70 percent of the surface at any given time, reflecting sunlight and absorbing heat, they're also an integral aspect of the planet's water cycle. As such, a better understanding of cloud formation and the impact of aerosols is needed. The research of Lin and and her team is based on 10 years of data from NASA's CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite (CALIPSO) missions. CloudSat examines the interior of clouds to determine how tropical cyclones and climate changes (related to clouds) occur. CALIPSO monitors the roles clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth's weather, climate, and air quality. From their observations, Lin and colleagues noted consistent changes in the properties of cirrus clouds following three volcanic eruptions. Where ash-rich eruptions occurred, the researchers noted that these high-altitude clouds (largely composed of ice) became more frequent. While these clouds hosted significantly fewer ice crystals compared to cirrus clouds at other times, the crystals did have were were larger. None of this occurred with ash-poor eruptions. "At the beginning of the study, we did expect clouds affected by volcanic eruptions to look different from natural clouds, but not in the way we ultimately found," says Lin. "We anticipated that volcanic aerosols would lead to an increase in the number of ice crystals in clouds. But to our surprise, the data showed the opposite." Initially, the group expected ice to form uniformly in a process whereby water spontaneously condenses from very cold water droplets. Instead, they observed water collecting on the ash aerosols before they were cold enough to freeze spontaneously, forming larger clumps of ice. "The results completely overturned our original expectations," Lin adds. "Letting go of our initial idea and developing a new explanation based on unexpected findings was both the hardest and most rewarding part of the process." Since then, the team has transitioned to studying Arctic clouds and their role in global atmospheric models. Meanwhile, they are waiting for another major eruption, which will allow them to validate their results. This research was published in Science Advances. Infamous 'Gateway to Hell' Fire Could Finally Stop Raging After 50 Years Our Atmosphere's Growing Thirst Is a Hidden Cause of Worsening Droughts A Massive Cloud of Saharan Dust Is About to Hit The United States
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists stunned after uncovering major flaw in futuristic energy tech: 'This effect is far from negligible'
Hydrogen fuel cells are often called the clean energy solution of tomorrow — powering everything from cars to homes with just hydrogen and oxygen while leaving behind only water. But a new study has revealed a surprising flaw that could be slowing down that future: a hidden energy leak that kicks in when things heat up. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) took a closer look at a popular fuel cell material called barium zirconate. It's commonly used in high-temperature fuel cells, which convert hydrogen into electricity with little to no pollution. These types of fuel cells are exciting because they can outperform traditional gas-powered engines — but only if they run efficiently. Here's the catch: The scientists found that when the fuel cells heat up past 600 Kelvin (about 620 degrees Fahrenheit), they start leaking energy. And not just a little. Their simulations showed that high temperatures cause tiny vibrations inside the material's atomic structure — and those vibrations push electrons out of place. When electrons wander off, they leave behind "holes," which act like little energy drains inside the system. In fact, when the team accounted for these temperature effects, it found four times as many of these energy-wasting holes compared to what traditional models predicted. "Traditionally, models don't fully account for temperature-induced vibrations," said Shenli Zhang, LLNL physicist and first author of the study. "But our calculations show that this effect is far from negligible." This breakthrough, published in the PRX Energy journal, helps explain why fuel cells don't always live up to their full potential. But more importantly, it offers a roadmap for how to fix it. The researchers created a new simulation protocol that lets them calculate exactly how much energy is lost at different temperatures — and which materials might hold up better. That could be a game-changer as we race to build cleaner, more affordable energy systems. Hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to replace dirtier technologies in transportation, power generation, and even home energy systems. But every bit of lost energy means more cost, more fuel used, and less efficiency overall. Plugging these leaks could lead to better-performing fuel cells that save money and reduce pollution at the same time. And the best part? This isn't a far-off fantasy. The team created a new method to predict how heat causes energy loss in fuel cell materials like barium zirconate. This approach can now be used to test and improve other materials too, helping scientists design better fuel cells that work efficiently at high temperatures. "These insights help us quantify just how much electrical leakage is tied to temperature, and they give us a better handle on designing materials or operating conditions to minimize those losses," said co-author Joel Varley, LLNL scientist and project lead. Should the government continue to give tax incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades? Absolutely No Depends on the upgrade I don't know Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. It's a key step toward making hydrogen power more reliable and ready for real-world use. And while scientists are working on the tech behind the scenes, there are things that can be done on the individual level to take advantage of clean energy at home. Installing rooftop solar panels — or joining a local community solar program — can slash your monthly electricity bill and help transition your home to cleaner power. Services like EnergySage make it easy to compare quotes from trusted local installers and save up to $10,000 on installation. Cleaner, smarter energy is getting closer every day — and discoveries like this are certainly helping speed things up. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
