A Bengaluru startup is taking an ambitious swing at one of cybersecurity's most pressing problems: what happens to encrypted communications when quantum computers become powerful enough to crack today's codes?
Pramatra Space is developing satellite-based quantum key distribution — a method that uses the laws of quantum physics to share encryption keys in a way that is theoretically impossible to intercept without detection. According to YourStory, the company is building this system around an in-house photonics chip, meaning it is designing core hardware itself rather than relying on off-the-shelf components.
The threat driving this work is real. Conventional encryption — the kind protecting everything from bank transfers to government secrets — relies on mathematical problems that today's computers find too hard to solve. Quantum computers, still emerging but advancing fast, could eventually unravel those same problems in minutes. Security researchers call this looming scenario "harvest now, decrypt later": adversaries are already collecting encrypted data today, waiting for quantum machines capable of reading it.
Quantum key distribution sidesteps this by using individual particles of light (photons) to transmit keys. Any eavesdropping attempt disturbs the photons and alerts both parties, making interception self-defeating. Doing this from orbit — via satellite — allows the system to cover vast distances that fiber-optic cables cannot easily span.
Pramatra Space is among a small global cohort of companies racing to make space-based QKD practical and commercially viable, according to YourStory.
If it succeeds, the technology could help governments, banks, and critical infrastructure providers future-proof their communications against a quantum threat that most experts believe is a matter of when, not if.