Q&A with Anton Zeilinger, acclaimed quantum physicist

A mysterious Chinese government satellite, believed to be a military-operated early warning station, successfully launched into orbit Feb. 4 on top of a Long March 3B rocket.

China launched a pioneering satellite mission Monday to prove the viability of quantum communications from space, an innovation that could led to a worldwide network to transmit hack-proof messages among military forces, financial institutions and multinational companies.

Two Chinese Yaogan military reconnaissance satellites launched this week, riding a Long March 2C booster into orbit on a mission that inaugurated the use of a new restartable upper stage to increase the rocket’s carrying capacity.