SBQuantum and Spire to send quantum diamond magnetometer into orbit

SAN FRANCISCO – Canadian startup SBQuantum plans to send a quantum diamond magnetometer into low-Earth orbit March 30 on a Spire Global satellite flying on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare.

Spire is providing the satellite, ground stations and data processing for SBQuantum’s magnetometer, which is roughly the size of a quart of milk. SBQuantum and Spire are competing in the fourth and final phase of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) MagQuest competition. U.K.’s Iota Technology and the University of Colorado, Boulder, also are finalists in the competition.

“Reaching the final phase of MagQuest is the most significant technical milestone in our company’s history,” SBQuantum founder David Roy-Guay said in a statement. “Our technology has now been validated for the most demanding conditions imaginable. We are proud to bring to market a device which could soon play a central role in how the world navigates on land, air and sea.”

World Magnetic Models

Through MagQuest, NGA seeks to identify promising technologies capable of providing data for future World Magnetic Models, which underpin navigation systems. In addition, the cubesat magnetometers have applications for resource exploration, public safety and defense, Roy-Guay said. For example, miniature quantum sensors could provide reliable navigation in areas where Global Positioning Satellite signals are denied or degraded.

The World Magnetic Model, produced by NGA and the United Kingdom’s Defence Geographic Centre, is distributed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Through MagQuest, NGA is seeking technologies that could provide data for the World Magnetic Model beginning in 2030.

SBQuantum’s magnetometer employs the principles of quantum physics to deliver continuous, detailed monitoring of the magnetic field and its movement, according to the company’s March 27 news release.  

Since MagQuest was established in 2019, NGA has awarded $2.1 million to competing teams. NGA awarded $1.55 million to each of the three teams currently designing, building, testing and launching their devices.