WISeKey Plans Launch of 21st Low Earth Orbit Satellite
Welcome to the latest edition of "Quantum Leap" where The Fly decodes news and activity in the quantum computing space.SPACE QUANTUM INTERNET:WISeKeyannounced that its subsidiary WISeSat.Space is preparing for the launch of its 21st low-Earth orbit satellite. The launch is currently scheduled for the end of March from California with SpaceX. For this new launch, WISeSat is teaming with Sealsqand Sealcoin.AI. Together, all parties aim to extend previous proofs of concept by embedding WISeKey's root of trust, with Sealsq's post-quantum chip, and Sealcoin wallet directly onboard the WISeSat platform in an effort to accelerate their vision for the space quantum internet, by delivering quantum-secure, broadband via a constellation of LEO satellites. The company said, "The satellites also integrate incremental innovations derived from Sealsq's quantum roadmap, leveraging advances from its partner ecosystem and startup investment program to enhance security, performance, and operational efficiency. This upcoming launch represents the first operational deployment of a new generation of WISeSat satellites, which will progressively populate and modernize its constellation. With an average satellite lifespan of approximately five years, continuous renewal is essential to integrate new technologies, improve performance, and introduce advanced functionalities."TECH&FEST:Sealsq showcased its quantum resistant chip at Tech&Fest. The company said, "The QS7001 is a quantum-resistant secure microcontroller built around a 32-bit RISC-V core tightly coupled with a dedicated cryptographic acceleration subsystem. Unlike software-based PQC implementations running on general-purpose MCUs, the QS7001 implements SHA 3 lattice-based post-quantum primitive directly in silicon, significantly reducing cycle count, memory footprint, and power consumption while mitigating timing and side-channel leakage risks."POST QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY:Orange Business and Ciscoreported their collaboration on post-quantum cryptography-secured solutions over the Orange Business global network infrastructure. This provides customers with long-term protection against future quantum attacks for their network traffic. Orange Business is the first European service provider to announce PQC-secured global network services based on Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers. The company said these are specifically designed for the quantum era. Post-quantum cryptography-secured WAN services are available effective immediately. Post-quantum cryptography-secured Orange Business managed Cisco SD-WAN services are targeted for commercial availability in Q3 of 2026. The company said, "By taking a standards-aligned approach to quantum-safe networking with PQC over SD-WAN, Orange and Cisco are helping customers protect their operations and maintain customer trust in the future. The goal is to ensure that data communications and digital services remain secure, even as quantum security threats evolve, without requiring customers to undergo sudden, disruptive changes."THREAT LANDSCAPE:Sealsq contended that AI advancements "do not alter" the quantum threat model. The company announced that while recent developments in advanced enterprise AI systems, including Anthropic's release of Claude Opus 4.6, represent a significant evolution in large-scale classical artificial intelligence, these developments do not introduce any material change to the quantum computing threat landscape nor to the technical requirements for quantum-secure cryptographic architectures.
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- Strategic Investment: SEALSQ announced a strategic investment in EeroQ, aimed at advancing quantum computing technology, marking a new milestone in its 'Quantum Made in USA' strategy as part of its over $100 million Quantum Investment Fund.
- Technological Breakthrough: EeroQ demonstrated a significant breakthrough in quantum hardware scalability, managing up to one million qubits with fewer than 50 physical control lines, significantly addressing the 'wire problem' in quantum computing, thus enhancing system complexity and reducing power dissipation.
- Collaboration Plans: SEALSQ and EeroQ plan to build a complete Proof of Concept at the Quantum Center of Excellence in Geneva, showcasing the end-to-end integration of secure semiconductor hardware, post-quantum cryptography, and emerging quantum processing technologies, providing a tangible reference for governments and enterprises.
- Market Outlook: The combination of EeroQ's quantum computing architecture with SEALSQ's secure semiconductor manufacturing and cryptographic expertise will strengthen SEALSQ's competitiveness in national security and critical infrastructure, supporting its strategic commitment to global quantum technology leadership.
- Quantum Security Strategy Unveiled: Building on over 1.75 billion secure semiconductor devices deployed globally, SEALSQ has positioned embedded security and post-quantum cryptography as foundational pillars of Physical AI, aiming to provide a secure and resilient infrastructure for autonomous machines, thereby enhancing its market competitiveness for decades to come.
- Transformation of Physical AI: By embedding identity, trust, and data integrity into hardware, SEALSQ plans to extend its secure microcontrollers and hardware security modules into trusted sensing and decision nodes, ensuring secure autonomous operations at the edge to meet future quantum network demands.
- SEALCOIN.AI Transaction Layer: SEALCOIN.AI aims to introduce a secure, AI-native transactional and orchestration layer that facilitates the exchange of value, services, and decisions between autonomous systems, promoting the development of a decentralized physical internet and enhancing trust and economic incentives among machines.
- Global Trust Foundation: SEALSQ's WISeKey Root of Trust, already deployed in over six billion devices, provides secure identity and zero-trust authentication, and combined with its post-quantum semiconductor products, establishes a quantum-resilient cryptographic nervous system that ensures the safe and sustainable operation of autonomous systems in the physical world.
- Satellite Launch Plan: WISeKey's subsidiary WISeSat is set to launch its 21st LEO satellite in late March 2026 from California in collaboration with SpaceX, marking a significant step in the company's ongoing innovation and market expansion in satellite technology.
- Quantum Internet Vision: The partnership with SEALSQ and SEALCOIN.AI aims to accelerate the delivery of quantum-secure, high-speed, low-latency broadband services directly to users by embedding post-quantum chips and secure wallets, enhancing the security and efficiency of IoT devices.
- Access to Capital Markets: WISeKey plans to list on NASDAQ through a business combination with Columbus Acquisition Corp, which is expected to significantly accelerate the deployment of its satellite constellation, enabling secure device-to-device connectivity to meet the growing IoT market demand.
- Future Development Strategy: WISeSat's deployment strategy includes multiple launches throughout 2026, focused on expanding constellation coverage, increasing bandwidth and redundancy, and integrating AI-driven analytics for enhanced security monitoring and real-time data processing capabilities, ensuring competitiveness in an evolving cybersecurity landscape.
- Executive Appointment: WISeKey appointed Gwenael Rouy-Poirier as CFO of its satellite subsidiary WISeSat effective February 2, 2026, aiming to enhance financial governance and capital market activities to support the company's growth strategy in satellite communications.
- Listing Plans: WISeSat signed a Business Combination Agreement with Columbus Acquisition Corp in November 2025, planning to list on Nasdaq, which will provide broader capital access and drive business expansion in IoT and defense sectors.
- Extensive Experience: Rouy-Poirier brings over 25 years of international finance and operational leadership experience, having held senior finance roles at global industrial leaders like GKN Aerospace, Honeywell, and Danaher, providing the necessary rigor and credibility for WISeSat in complex, technology-driven industries.
- Market Outlook: As demand for high-performance satellite connectivity accelerates, Rouy-Poirier's addition will support WISeSat's engagement in capital markets, ensuring the company meets U.S. public market investors' expectations while creating long-term value for stakeholders.
- Art and Technology Convergence: WISeKey's subsidiary WISe.Art and GMA will host the Art&DeepTech Convergence event in Venice in September 2026, marking a new milestone in the integration of art, advanced technologies, and space, expected to attract global artists and tech innovators, thereby deepening the cultural and technological synergy.
- Advanced Technological Infrastructure: The event will showcase a next-generation infrastructure integrating generative AI, cognitive robotics, blockchain, and post-quantum cybersecurity, aimed at enhancing artistic creation capabilities and protecting artworks, ensuring authenticity and copyright protection in digital environments.
- Art in Space Program: WISeKey's WISeSat satellite constellation will serve as a core feature of the event, associating artistic content with space missions to create a symbolic and technological archive of 21st-century art, promoting the global dissemination and protection of art.
- New Cultural Finance Models: During the event, the Renaissance Coin and Artech Fund based on secure blockchain technologies will be launched, aimed at providing artists with global resources and promoting transparent cultural finance models to support the development of future artistic projects.
- Strategic Partnership: WISeKey has signed a commercial agreement with French aerospace company Latitude to assess the orbital launch of WISeSat's planned secure IoT satellite constellation, marking a significant step in WISeSat's strategy to deploy 100 satellites by 2029, addressing the growing global demand for low-latency and highly secure space connectivity.
- Satellite Deployment Plan: WISeSat aims to deploy approximately 100 satellites by 2029, creating a global constellation focused on secure IoT connectivity, environmental monitoring, and critical infrastructure management, which is expected to significantly enhance service capabilities for commercial and institutional clients.
- Enhanced Launch Capability: By selecting Latitude to develop the Zephyr Launcher, a small orbital rocket with a payload capacity of 200 kg, WISeSat ensures rapid launches from multiple spaceports, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness to meet modern constellation deployment needs.
- Digital Infrastructure Development: This collaboration represents not only a technical advancement but also a broader shift towards a new generation of digital infrastructure, as the partnership between WISeKey and Latitude paves the way for the convergence of terrestrial and space-based infrastructure, supporting the expansion of secure IoT services globally.






