Update | How quantum satellite launch is helping China develop a communications system that ‘cannot be hacked’
Scientists believe that using technology harnessing quantum physics is the key to beating electronic snoopers

The launch of the world’s first “quantum satellite” is just the beginning of China’s ambitious plans to develop a communications system that cannot be cracked by hackers, according to a lead engineer on the project.
The satellite was launched from the Jiuquan space centre in Gansu province in northwest China early on Tuesday morning, state media reported.
One of the tasks during the satellite’s mission will be to try and send coded communications back to earth that cannot be read by eavesdroppers, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
It will attempt to do so by transmitting information through photons, tiny particles found in subatomic or quantum physics.
Researchers believe that information sent through photons cannot be intercepted or analysed by people without the right codes.
Lead engineer Dr Wang Jianyu told the South China Morning Post he has had barely any sleep before the launch, due to excitement and anxiety.