QuantX Labs’ Tempo optical atomic clock undergoing a test. (QuantX Labs)

Adelaide-based QuantX Labs has launched an optical frequency comb into space as part of efforts to enhance optical clock technology intended to improve defence position, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities.

The frequency comb is a key subsystem of QuantX Labs’ Tempo rubidium optical atomic clock, which is scheduled for launch later in 2026, the Australian Space Agency (ASA) announced on 31 March.

Optical frequency combs enable precise measurement of time and frequency, the ASA said, adding that this is the first time a domestically developed optical frequency comb is being tested in space.

The ASA added that the frequency comb will also enable testing of QuantX Labs’ satellite interface, including communications, mechanical, thermal and environmental systems.

The frequency comb was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 30 March from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. QuantX Labs said the frequency comb functions as a “critical bridge” translating optical outputs from new generation atomic clocks into usable electronic timing signals for end users.

QuantX Labs CEO, Andre Luiten, said, “This increased accuracy [provided by frequency combs] will support the next generation of [PNT] systems, improving navigation resilience, enabling advanced space missions and supporting emerging technologies that rely on ultra-precise time synchronisation including synchronised Earth observation networks and advanced communications infrastructure.”

QuantX Labs developed the frequency comb, and has been advancing Tempo for its scheduled launch, in collaboration with the University of Adelaide’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), under the Australian government’s Kairos mission, which aims to launch a next-generation optical atomic clock into the low Earth orbit (LEO) to augment PNT capabilities.

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