Space-Based Infrastructure for Quantum-Secure Communication: A Comparative Analysis of Network Architectures
Keywords:
Critical Infrastructure, Network Architecture, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Satellite Communication, Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network (SAGIN)Abstract
The Significant advancement of quantum computing has given challenges to render current public-key cryptographic standards (RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography).This raises an urgent need for quantum-resistant infrastructure. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a theoretically security guarantee due to laws of physics rather than computational complexity. One difficulty in terrestrial QKD is that it is fundamentally constrained by exponential photon loss in optical fiber. So it limits practical deployment to metropolitan scales (<500 km). This paper shows that space- based infrastructure—specifically satellite Network in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO)— represents the promising pathway to a global Quantum Internet. Through a comparative analysis of four architectural models (Trusted Nodes, Untrusted Relays, Entanglement Distribution, and Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks), this study shows the trade-offs between Secret Key Rate (SKR), latency, and security. The analysis concludes that while current "Trusted Node" architectures (TRL 8-9) provide immediate utility, the future of secure infrastructure lies in hybrid VLEO- SAGIN architectures that utilize "Untrusted Relay" protocols to lower the satellite vulnerability, thereby treating space not merely as a transit medium but as a critical sovereign utility.
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