IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) is aggressively expanding its national security business with the U.S. government, securing back-to-back contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

On the 6th (local time), IonQ announced it signed a $28 million contract extension through DARPA's 'It's About Time' program. Under this contract, the company will expand production capacity of its optical atomic clock 'Evergreen-05' and supply a total of 125 units to U.S. government customers. The atomic clock will be used in missions directly tied to national security, including radar, secure communications, and precision geolocation.

About 5 Liters in Size… Cumulative Error of Less Than 1 Second Over 30 Million Years

Evergreen-05 is a compact optical atomic clock developed through DARPA's 'Robust Optical Clock Network' program. It integrates key functions into a device roughly 5 liters in size, maintaining a time stability of 50 femtoseconds at a 1-second基准 and nano-second-level accuracy for up to 10 days. In long-term terms, it provides precision equivalent to a cumulative error of less than 1 second over approximately 30 million years.

In terms of performance, it offers superior phase noise and short-term stability compared to existing active hydrogen masers, while maintaining similar levels of long-term drift. The equipment size is approximately 1/75th of existing products, and it is designed to operate in various environments, including land, sea, and air platforms.

DARPA began developing the related technology in 2019 by providing initial R&D funding to the startup Vector Atomic. IonQ strengthened its capabilities in the field of Quantum Position, Navigation and Timing by acquiring Vector Atomic in October 2025.

Wins NRO Contract with Capella SAR Technology

Through its subsidiary Capella, IonQ also secured a contract under the NRO's 'Radar Commercial Augmentation (RCA)' program. Capella will provide commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery and data services to support U.S. national security missions.

Capella's SAR technology is characterized by the ability to obtain high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions or time of day, enabling stable Earth observation even through clouds or severe weather. Through the RCA program, it plans to support situational awareness, mission planning, and data-driven decision-making for national security agencies.

IonQ explained that these contracts reaffirm the utility of commercial SAR technology in executing government missions.

Management: "Vector Atomic Acquisition Reaffirmed as the Right Decision"

Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ, said, "Vector Atomic's clock and sensor technology is world-class, and DARPA's investment reaffirms that the acquisition was the right decision." He added, "Capella's SAR technology is designed to meet the needs of government agencies that must rapidly obtain reliable information even in complex operational environments. These contracts demonstrate confidence in commercial SAR platforms and showcase our ability to supply cutting-edge technology that supports U.S. national security."

Marty Boyd, co-founder of Vector Atomic and currently Director leading IonQ's Timekeeping division, said, "DARPA has been a key partner from the initial concept validation stage through to today. Since joining IonQ, we have been expanding the production and supply of commercial products, and this support is expected to accelerate that pace further."

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