Nebula bus
One of Terran Orbital's modular satellite platforms, picked by Mitsubishi Electric to carry a quantum-encryption and laser-link payload on a low Earth orbit demo.
Why it matters
Buying a ready-made bus lets payload makers like Mitsubishi Electric test new technology without designing a whole spacecraft. Quantum key distribution from orbit is an early step toward satellite links that are very hard to eavesdrop on.
How the technology works
Nebula is one of several Terran Orbital spacecraft platforms. For the Mitsubishi Electric mission, it will host a quantum key distribution and optical terminal payload from a Japanese team including NICT.
Bus delivery is planned for 2027 and launch for about 2029.