China launches first quantum satellite

China launched the world's first quantum satellite yesterday, state media reported, in an effort to harness the power of particle physics to build an "unhackable" system of encrypted communications.

The launch took place at 1:40 am in the southwestern Gobi Desert, the official Xinhua news service said, and comes as the US, Japan and others also seek to develop applications for the burgeoning technology.

The satellite -- nicknamed Micius after a 5th century BC Chinese philosopher and scientist -- will be used in experiments intended to prove the viability of quantum technology to communicate over long distances.

It will also further investigations into some of the more unusual properties of sub-atomic particles, including "quantum entanglement", Xinhua said.

Unlike traditional secure communication methods, China's proposed system uses photons to send the encryption keys necessary to decode information.

The data contained in the bursts of subatomic particles is impossible to intercept: any attempts at eavesdropping will cause them to self-destruct, Xinhua said, letting users know that their communications have been compromised.