Recording of a single-photon signal from low-flying satellites for satellite quantum key distribution

A ground receiving station for satellite quantum key distribution capable of analyzing the quantum polarization states of photons is presented. In an experiment concerning tracking a low-Earth orbit satellite, the residual tracking error by the ground station does not exceed 10 $\mu$rad, which ensures stable reception of the optical signal in four channels of the polarization state decoder. The efficiency of optical-signal recording in the satellite tracking mode is estimated.