IonQ's Skyloom reaches 84 optical terminals in orbit after new launch

Skyloom Global, a subsidiary of IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), announced that dozens of additional optical communication terminals (OCTs) have been deployed in low-Earth orbit, bringing the total to 84 on-orbit installations.

The OCTs were carried aboard York Space Systems satellites launched July 16, 2026, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The satellites support the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

The latest deployment follows an earlier batch of OCTs launched during SDA's first Tranche 1 mission in September 2025. The two deployments together represent what the company describes as one of the largest operational laser communications payload footprints in low-Earth orbit.

This marks the second deployment of space vehicles equipped with Skyloom OCTs and the third deployment of Transport Layer Tranche 1 space vehicles overall, moving SDA closer to completing its Tranche 1 PWSA Transport Layer constellation. The spacecraft are designed to provide high-throughput, low-latency communications for national defense applications.

"We're proud to continue supporting SDA with proven, U.S.-built optical communications technology at scale," said Jordan Shapiro, IonQ's President of Quantum Platform.

IonQ is headquartered in College Park, Maryland. This announcement is based on a company press release.

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