中國量子衛星發射成功，通訊安全大步提升

China has launched the world's first satellite into orbit using a technology to send communications back to Earth that it hopes will be secure from hackers.
中國發射了世界上第一顆量子衛星。中國希望通過使用量子技術來確保空地通信能夠抵禦黑客攻擊。

The satellite was launched into space Tuesday from a military base in Gansu province in the northwest Gobi Desert.
這顆衛星是星期二在中國西北戈壁灘上甘肅的一個軍事基地發射的。

The 600-plus-kilogram satellite, dubbed Micius after a 5th century B.C. Chinese philosopher and scientist, will circle the Earth every 90 minutes.
衛星重達六百多公斤，名字叫“墨子”。墨子是生活在公元前五世紀的一位中國哲學家和科學家。“墨子”衛星每九十分鐘繞地球一週。

Light particles will be fired at Micius to determine if quantum physics will permit the secure encryption of long-range communication.
中國科學家將向衛星發射光離子，測試量子物理是否能夠保證遠距離通信的安全。

The official Xinhua news agency said that during the satellite's two-year mission, it will establish "hack-proof" communications by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to ground.
中國官方媒體新華社表示，這顆衛星計劃在空間運行兩年，在此期間它將向地球發送不可破解的密鑰，建立“不可截獲的”通信渠道。

"I don't think the quantum communications system is as impregnable as the Chinese would have us believe," Morris Jones, an independent Australian space analyst who monitors the Chinese space program, told VOA's Victor Beattie.
莫里斯·瓊斯，獨立的澳大利亞太空分析師對美國之音說，“我並不認爲量子通信系統會像中國希望我們相信的那樣不可破解。” 瓊斯一直在跟蹤中國的太空計劃。

According to the Wall Street Journal, scientists in the U.S., Europe and Japan also are trying to exploit quantum physics technology, which can have military applications. But China has made the technology a top strategic focus in its five-year economic development plan released in March, and may have spent tens of billions of dollars in basic research.
華爾街日報說，美國、歐洲和日本的科學家也在試圖利用量子物理技術。這種技術具有軍事用途。不過，中國在今年三月公佈的五年經濟發展規劃中，把這項技術列爲首要戰略重點。中國可能在這項基礎研究方面投入了上百億美元的投資。

Despite his belief that the technology is not impregnable, Jones said the application of it in space is a major step forward for the Chinese.
儘管瓊斯認爲量子技術未必會不可破解，但是他表示，把這項技術運用在太空項目上，這對中國人來說，是向前邁出的重要一步。

"The Chinese have one of the top space programs in the world, and they are still on an upward trajectory,” he said. “The Russians are stagnating and falling backward. If America does not regroup in the next five years, they will lose ground on China."
瓊斯說，“中國的太空項目是世界上最先進的項目之一，而且這些項目還處於向前發展的階段。俄羅斯在這方面已經停滯，甚至倒退。如果美國在今後五年不重整旗鼓，他們也會讓中國追趕上來。”

Jones predicts the U.S. space program could fall behind China's within the next 15 years if the U.S. does not commit more resources to space initiatives.
瓊斯預計，如果美國不拿出更多的資源用於太空發展，那麼在十五年內，美國就會落後於中國。

The lead scientist on the project, Pan Jian-wei at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, said if this experiment is a success, China plans to launch a second such satellite within the next five years to develop a network based on the quantum technology.
中國量子衛星項目的首席科學家，合肥中國科技大學常務副校長潘建偉說，如果這個實驗成功了，中國將在五年內發射第二顆量子衛星，建立一個以量子技術爲基礎的網絡。