Skyloom optical communications terminals Photo: Skyloom

Quantum company IonQ is making another acquisition in the space industry with a deal to acquire optical communications company Skyloom Global. 

Optical communications will “form the backbone for quantum-secure communications and next-generation quantum networking and distributed quantum entanglement infrastructure,” IonQ CEO Niccolo de Masi said in a statement. 

IonQ formally announced the acquisition on Monday after CEO de Masi told CNBC last week it planned to acquire Skyloom. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Skyloom, based in Colorado, builds optical communications terminals and provides OCTs to York Space Systems used on Space Development Agency (SDA) satellites. It has provided almost 90 terminals for SDA missions. 

Earlier this year, IonQ acquired synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite company Capella Space in a move to integrate space into its quantum security offerings. With the Skyloom acquisition, IonQ said the company now owns all of the critical technology layers for distributed quantum entanglement and ultra-secure connectivity.

IonQ, based in Maryland, is publicly traded and has made a series of acquisitions this year beyond Capella Space including Qubitekk, Lightsynq and a super-majority stake in ID Quantique. 

The Skyloom acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. After it closes, Skyloom CEO Marc Eisenberg will report to Frank Backes, president of Quantum Infrastructure at IonQ.

“Joining IonQ marks a transformative moment for Skyloom that builds on our original mission of unlocking secure space communications,” said Eisenberg. “By combining our OCT technology with IonQ’s quantum capabilities, we’re not just accelerating our roadmap, we’re helping define the architecture for future quantum-secure communications and networking infrastructure.”

Optical communications technology has been a hot target for acquisitions in the space sector. Rocket Lab is going through a deal to acquire German OCT provider Mynaric, and Voyager Technologies acquired Bridgecomm’s proprietary OCT tech.