{"id":509524,"date":"2024-12-02T13:24:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T18:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?p=509524"},"modified":"2024-12-02T13:24:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T18:24:42","slug":"quantum-tech-firm-wins-pentagon-contract-for-gps-alternative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/quantum-tech-firm-wins-pentagon-contract-for-gps-alternative\/","title":{"rendered":"Quantum tech firm wins Pentagon contract for GPS alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Defense Department awarded an $11 million contract to the quantum technology firm Infleqtion to accelerate development of its atomic timing technology, <\/p>

The contract, announced on Dec. 2, is funded through the Pentagon\u2019s APFIT program, short for Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies. <\/p>

Infleqtion is based in the United States, United Kingdom<\/a> and Australia.<\/p>

The award underscores growing military interest in GPS-independent navigation tools amid concerns about potential weaknesses in the Global Positioning System. In conflict zones or during cyberattacks, GPS signals can be jammed, spoofed or disrupted.<\/p>

Infleqtion’s breakthrough is Tiqker, a compact optical atomic clock that can be integrated into standard server racks. The device leverages quantum sensing, a technology that measures physical quantities with high precision by manipulating atomic quantum states.<\/p>

\u201cTiqker is a quantum-based atomic frequency reference clock designed to meet national security and commercial demands for precise timing in environments where satellite-based time standards are unreliable or unavailable,\u201d Matthew Kinsella, CEO of Infleqtion, said in a news release. <\/p>

\u201cThe funding awarded to Infleqtion will accelerate the deployment and fielding of these clocks, ensuring they are integrated into defense systems faster,\u201d he said.<\/p>

The APFIT program, funded at $300 million in fiscal year 2024, was established in 2022 to fast-track promising technologies from small businesses and commercial firms into operational military use. <\/p>

Infleqtion\u2019s contract is part of a broader investment in quantum timing. The APFIT program also awarded $11 million to Vector Atomic<\/a>, a California-based firm developing similar rack-mounted optical clocks. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Infleqtion got an $11 million contract to speed up development of a rack-mounted atomic clock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10999,"featured_media":509525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Infleqtion got an $11 million contract to speed up development of a rack-mounted atomic clock","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4148,4149,4161],"tags":[882,3551,9951],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2242],"class_list":["post-509524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial-archive","category-militaryspace-archive","category-news-archive","tag-dod","tag-pnt","tag-quantum","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nQuantum tech firm wins Pentagon contract for GPS alternative - 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