Washington – IONQ, a quantum IT company based in Maryland, announced on May 7 that it concluded an agreement to acquire Capella Space, the first American company to launch a commercial radar imaging satellite.
The acquisition advances the ambitious plan of IONQ to create the first quantum spatial distribution network (QKD) in the world based on space – a technology that promises incompatible communications for government and commercial users.
Founded in 2015, IONQ specializes in the development of quantum computer hardware and software. Unlike conventional computers, which store data in binary form, quantum computers are based on the laws of quantum mechanics to carry out complex calculations exponentially more quickly than traditional machines. One of their most anticipated uses is the distribution of quantum keys, which can detect and thwart any attempt to intercept encryption keys.
The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. The agreement should be concluded in the second half of 2025, pending regulatory approvals and other standard closing conditions.
Capella, founded in 2016, operates a fleet of synthetic opening radar satellites (SAR) capable of imagining the earth through the clouds and the night. The company launched its first satellite in 2018 and has since become a supplier of confidence images for the United States government and commercial customers. Until now, venture capital has been supported, strategic partners and individual investors.
Ionq’s interest in Capella goes beyond satellite equipment. The Radar company holds classified contracts and operates secure installations, which could give IONQ a path in the defense and intelligence markets because it builds its quantum vision based on space.
Quantum Internet vision
“We have an exceptional opportunity to accelerate our vision of the quantum internet,” said Ionq CEO Niccolo de Masi. “By taking advantage of Lightsynq’s long -distance quantum repeaters combined with the capacity of Capella’s most secret signals, IONQ plans to build global quantum security networks.”
The acquisition of Capella presents itself alongside a separate IONQ transaction announced on May 7 for Lightsynq Technologies, a Boston -based startup which developed the first functional quantum repeater. Quantum repeaters are a key catalyst to extend the quantum communications range, which are currently limited to relatively short distances.
IONQ has also signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea Intellian Technologies, a manufacturer of antennas and satellite communication gateways. The partnership is intended to support the physical infrastructure of the quantum keys distribution network offered by IONQ – allowing satellite and satellite satellite communications.
Frank Backes, CEO of Capella, said that Quantum Technologies “has the potential to revolutionize spatial operations by allowing ultra-secure communications that transmit data on and from platforms with unequaled security”.
Capella satellites, he said, will integrate with the quantum capacities of IONQ to “improve analysis, sensors and security to strengthen commercial applications and global defense and intelligence missions”.
