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#^Australia’s QuantX Built A Clock So Precise It Could Replace GPS — And It’s Heading To OrbitAdelaide-based QuantX Labs is preparing to send a key piece of its cutting-edge atomic clock technology into space, marking a major step for
Australian space science. In collaboration with French in-orbit logistics firm Exotrail, the mission will see the tech hit orbit aboard a SpaceX launch as early as December 2025.
QuantX’ Optical Atomic Clock
The focus is on TEMPO QuantX’s ultra-precise optical atomic clock system. The mission will carry one of its core components, an optical frequency comb, into space for the first time. The comb is already flight-ready, having cleared the full suite of environmental tests, from
thermal extremes and vacuum exposure to intense vibration and radiation. Once launched, it will operate in low-Earth orbit for a one-year mission hosted on Exotrail’s spacevan platform.
Timing Tech With Real-World Reach
Optical frequency combs may sound obscure, but they’re critical for high-precision timing and measurement. Invented just over two decades ago and recognised with a Nobel Prize in 2005, these systems have become foundational for everything from deep-space comms to navigation. What’s never been done, until now, is putting one in space.
The comb’s deployment represents a landmark not only for QuantX Labs but for the broader push to build sovereign Australian capabilities in precision positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). The project is supported by a $3.7 million grant from the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars initiative. Professor Andre Luiten, Managing Director at QuantX, called the launch “a breakthrough” and praised his team’s ability to deliver the system quickly and cost-effectively. “We’re incredibly proud to see Australia at the forefront of space-based precision timing,” he said.
Alternative To Navigation Satellites
TEMPO is being developed as a potential alternative and supplement to existing global navigation satellite systems like GPS. With growing interest in redundancy and independence in space-based infrastructure, Australia’s system could provide both strategic value and technical flexibility. Before launch, QuantX engineers will work with Exotrail just south of Paris to complete final tests and integration at the company’s HQ. The flight will be Exotrail’s second mission using spacevan
, following a successful debut in 2023 that remains operational in orbit.
Dr Sebastian Ng, QuantX PNT Program Lead, sees this as a stepping stone to even more capable spaceborne optical clocks. “The frequency comb is a critical milestone for the KAIROS mission,” he said. “Its success will guide our path toward deploying the full TEMPO payload on future missions.”
If successful, this will be the first time an optical frequency comb has operated in orbit, making it a milestone not just for Australia but for the broader global community working on next-generation space timing systems.
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Australia’s QuantX Built A Clock So Precise It Could Replace GPS — And It’s Heading To Orbit appeared first on
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