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The Pentagon's DARPA is funding startup Diffraqtion with a $1.5 million grant to develop a quantum camera capable of providing near-real time imagery, aiming for deployment by 2027. The camera will undergo demonstrations using ground-based telescopes in Hawaii and California.

Diffraqtion is collaborating with the Space Force's lab in Colorado Springs for potential applications in space surveillance and missile defense. The camera technology is based on previous research by UMD's Saikat Guha.

Diffraqtion plans to launch its first satellite, Galileo-1, in 2028 and a second for Earth observation in 2029. The company has raised $4.2 million in early investment.