Breakthrough: China's quantum satellite sends pairs of entangled photons to three ground stations for the first time Breakthrough: China's quantum satellite sends pairs of entangled photons to three ground stations for the first time In A Major Breakthrough That Opens Up Bright Prospects For Practical Quantum Communications, China Has Successfully Sent Pairs Of Entangled Photons From Space For The First Time. News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Bindiya Bhatt | Updated on: 16 Jun 2017, 04:40:05 PM Beijing: In a major breakthrough that opens up bright prospects for practical quantum communications, China has successfully sent pairs of entangled photons from space for the first time. The photons have been sent from a satellite in orbit to three ground stations in China. Each of them were separated by more than 1,200-km.