On 12 March, Professor Calum (Malcolm) Semple, the newly appointed Chief Scientist of Scotland, visited the Hub Optical Ground Station (HOGS) at Heriot-Watt University.

As part of the visit, Professor Semple met Associate Professor Ross Donaldson who provided a demonstration of HOGS  and also outlined the critical role of secure communications in supporting future industries, national resilience, and international collaboration.

Professor Semple learned how HOGS represents a significant contribution to the UK’s ambition to build a national quantum internet by 2035. The facility will play a central role in establishing quantum communication links between satellites and ground infrastructure, with several quantum-enabled satellites expected to connect to HOGS in the next two years. Among these is the Space Platform for Optical Quantum Communications (SPOQC) CubeSat, funded alongside the ground station which is due to launch on 30 March 2026.

Photo: (L-R) Professor Gabriela Medero, Professor Calum Semple, Associate Professor Ross Donaldson