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May 27, 2026
We shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque...
...but we didn't have an SBQuantum magnetometer and geomagnetic map with us.
When you’re trying to navigate somewhere with a map or some kind of visual imagery, the first thing you need to do is to orient it. You need to find landmarks around you, find them on the map/image, and then make sure that magnetic north on your compass matches magnetic north on the map/image. This means that it helps to have a current map/image so that the landmarks on paper are not long gone and the landmarks around you aren’t absent on paper.
Enter SBQuantum
We’re reading more and more these days about the use of quantum sensors for navigation in GPS-denied/spoofed environments, and I’d like to compare them here to compasses. Even if you have a quantum magnetometer handy, you need a map of the Earth’s ever-changing local magnetic profile to go with it. Currently, that map is probably updated roughly every 4 years. So, if you read that SBQuantum recently launched a diamond quantum magnetometer into space, the purpose of that is to help the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency as part of the MagQuest Challenge to update the map as frequently as annually.
It’s Offline
Part of the reason why quantum-assured navigation can’t be jammed or spoofed is that the map, like most printed maps/images you’ve seen, is not provided in real-time. GPS signals have to be provided in real-time, which is why they’re vulnerable. But as long as you can get a recent copy of the local map, you can use your handy dandy local magnetometer with that map to navigate from point A to point Q (obviously).
Technically, the map is updated in real-time. If you’ve used Google Earth, think about how the Earth’s surface is divided up into lots of squares. The squares are being updated in real-time, but you have to wait a while for the square(s) you’re interested in to be updated. The same principle applies here, except that monitoring will be continuous. Nevertheless, you still have to wait for your proverbial neck of the woods, featured image pun intended, to be updated.
Conclusion
The launch is just a test, and SBQuantum’s magnetometer has been put into space to determine if it’s actually going to be useful. This is a 7-year program, and The Quantum Dragon has his fingers, toes, and eyes crossed for good luck.
Disclaimer
No dragons were harmed in the creation of the featured image.
May 26, 2026
Track data in and out of your QPUs.
I found The Quantum Dragon up on a lighthouse, tracking ships as they proceeded inbound and outbound from a harbor. Of all the things I’ve caught him doing, that’s a peculiar...
May 22, 2026
Squirrel!
Inspired by his godfather, Dr. Bob Sutor, The Quantum Dragon is thrilled to introduce you to The Quantum Squirrel. The next time you think someone might ask you a question about...
May 20, 2026
2026: A Quantum Odyssey
My conversation with Delta Gold Technologies was probably the first time I’ve been left without a basic understanding of the technology in question. That’s not to say that I...
May 15, 2026
Congratulations, Alice & Bob!
An email from HQI, France’s Hybrid HPC Quantum Initiative, noted that GENCI has acquired a “Ruby” neutral atom quantum computer from France-based Pasqal and a “Lucy” photonic...
May 12, 2026
IQT The Quantum Dragon Podcast Episode 84 – How to Future-Proof “Quantum-Safe”
I spoke with Eric Hay, Senior Vice President of Field Engineering at Quantum XChange, about single-use private keys, the prevention of retrieval after they’ve been used, secure...
May 11, 2026
IQT NORDICS June 22-24 in Oslo welcomes an additional exhibitor: DNV
IQT NORDICS continues to add sponsors at a rapid pace as just this week DNV has been added to the exhibiting roster. 39 organizations are exhibiting or sponsoring at the largest...
May 8, 2026
Bow down to the king.
I don’t cover partnership announcements, because news archives are graveyards of examples that went nowhere. I also don’t cover claims of “utility-scale, fault-tolerant systems by...
May 7, 2026
DENMARK LOVES IQT NORDICS 2026 (OSLO) JUNE 22-24 AS A DANISH PAVILION JOINS THE NETWORKING HALL
9 organizations under the auspices of Invest in Denmark and the Denmark Quantum Community are now part of the networking hall at IQT NORDICS in Oslo, Norway this June 22-24 at...
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