Infleqtion will receive $20 million from NASA to advance the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder mission, bringing the agency’s total investment in the program to $40 million. The funding marks a shift from proving the potential of quantum sensing to solving the challenges of deploying it in orbit, moving the mission into hardware development and testing.
“We are no longer testing the quantum technology itself, but ways we can use it in the space environment,” explains Dana Anderson, Chief Science Officer at Infleqtion, as the project aims to demonstrate technologies for measuring Earth’s gravity from space with greater precision.
Infleqtion Advances Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder Mission
A combined investment of $40 million from NASA now supports the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder (QGGPf) mission, demonstrating a substantial commitment to the development of space-based quantum sensing technologies. This latest $20 million award propels the mission beyond theoretical testing and into the critical phase of hardware development, focusing on building a functional system for orbital deployment. Infleqtion is central to this effort, responsible for the design and maturation of the atomic physics package, the quantum core of the sensor, which utilizes ultracold rubidium atoms cooled to pico-Kelvin temperatures for precise gravity gradient measurements.
The mission’s objectives extend beyond demonstrating the viability of quantum sensors in space; it aims to establish a technical foundation for future instruments capable of mapping Earth’s gravity field with increased accuracy, the company says.
NASA stated in a release that “As a NASA-led mission with key contributions from U.S. industry, QGGPf is demonstrating how quantum gravity sensing can operate in low Earth orbit and establishing the technical foundation for future generations of space-based instruments.” This technology could provide critical data for monitoring shifts in water, ice, and natural resources, bolstering planetary health assessments and long-term economic planning. Currently, Infleqtion plans to construct and test an initial sensor head and electronics engineering development unit at the Einstein Elevator, a unique microgravity facility in Hannover, Germany.
There is an enormous amount of potential for quantum technology use cases in space. We are no longer testing the quantum technology itself, but ways we can use it in the space environment.
Dana Anderson, Chief Science Officer at Infleqtion
Ultracold Rubidium Atoms Enable Space-Based Gravity Measurements
This approach builds upon prior work conducted by both NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Infleqtion on the Cold Atom Lab program aboard the International Space Station, extending NASA’s legacy of space-based gravity mapping begun with the GRACE missions. The system’s design directly measures subtle shifts in Earth’s gravitational field, a capability expected to refine future high-resolution quantum gravity instruments. NASA and Infleqtion anticipate completing hardware development by 2027, with a planned launch aboard a low-Earth orbit spacecraft in 2030, demonstrating how quantum sensing can operate in space and establishing a foundation for future instruments.
This follow-on award reflects the progress our team has made and marks a step toward the mission’s next phase.
Matt Kinsella, Chief Executive Officer of Infleqtion
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