China to launch quantum experiment satellite in 2016

China has initiated process to launch a satellite for quantum information and technology experiments in 2016, a leading quantum physicist said here today.
"We hope to establish a quantum communication network from Beijing to Vienna. Such a plan is impossible without international collaborations," Prof Pan Jianwei was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency today.
The field of quantum communication, the science of transmitting quantum states from one place to another, has caught global attention in recent years owing to the discovery of quantum cryptography, which is described as a way of creating "unbreakable" messages, the Xinhua report said.
A member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof Pan of the University of Science and Technology of China led a frontier research team to conduct a 30-40 km quantum communication test on the Great Wall of China in 2005.