Quantum Accelerometer Climate Explorer (Q-ACE) project will measure Earth’s atmosphere and make climate projections

(NationalCybersecurityNews) Eleven UK organisations have been awarded a share of just under £7 million of government funding to put into action the latest advances in space innovation. The majority of the projects focus on climate change or environmental management, with others designed to secure our telecommunication systems and protect digital infrastructure against cyber-attacks.

The Quantum Accelerometer Climate Explorer (Q-ACE) is one of the new projects and is funded for £345,032. The Quantum Accelerometer Climate Explorer (Q-ACE) mission will bring together the University of Birmingham and Teledyne e2v’s cold atom interferometry technology with Thales Alenia Space’s new revolutionary Very Low Earth Orbit ‘SkimSat’ satellite platform. The work will help to develop the Q-ACE mission that will measure the density of the Earth’s thermosphere and provide data that will help better understand climate predictions.
The Consortium Partners are Teledyne e2v, University of Birmingham, RAL Space, Fraunhofer UK Research Limited and the Met Office.

NOTE: A quantum accelerometer uses atom interferometry to measure accelerations along a horizontal axis. Quantum accelerometers are able to achieve a combination of sensitivity and stability by exploiting quantum interference. As such, they will be critical components of a quantum inertial navigation unit, which will offer satellite-free navigation with unparalleled long-term accuracy.