UPDATES
February 26, 2025–Vilnius, Lithuania
Astrolight Supplies ATLAS-1 Optical Communication Terminal for AUTh's PeakSat Space Mission
The partnership between Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Astrolight will validate next-generation optical communication technologies in low Earth orbit as part of the PeakSat mission.
February 26, 2025–Vilnius, Lithuania. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) and Astrolight, a pioneer in space-to-ground optical communication technology, have announced a strategic collaboration to advance satellite connectivity. The partnership involves integrating Astrolight’s ATLAS-1 optical terminal into PeakSat, a CubeSat mission that will demonstrate laser communication from low Earth orbit (LEO) to ground stations in Greece.
As part of this agreement, Astrolight will supply its ATLAS-1 optical terminal, which will serve as the primary payload for PeakSat. Astrolight will also upgrade Holomondas’s Optical Ground Station (OGS) with its 808 nm Laser Beacon and C-band optical receiver. These upgrades will ensure precise alignment and up to 1 Gbps data reception during the mission and handle the demands of laser communication under varying atmospheric and operational conditions.
“Collaborations like this demonstrate the potential of combining academic innovation with industry expertise,” said Laurynas Mačiulis, CEO of Astrolight. “By providing our ATLAS-1 terminal and OGS upgrades, we not only want to support the PeakSat mission, but ultimately contribute to Aristotle University of Thessaloniki goal of developing a scalable, secure, and efficient communication infrastructure in Greece.”
The PeakSat mission aims to assess a new optical ground station
Scheduled for launch in Q4 2025 via SpaceX’s Transporter-15 mission, PeakSat aims to establish optical communication links between LEO satellites and ground stations.
This represents a shift from traditional radio frequency-based communication to more advanced laser technology, providing higher data rates, better resistance to interference, and enhanced security.
The mission’s primary goal is to evaluate the operational performance of the Holomondas OGS. It will be done by systematically testing various scenarios, elevation angles, weather conditions, and illumination environments.
A secondary objective is the in-orbit validation of critical hardware and software developed by AUTh. These include the On-Board Computer (OBC), which will be used for the specific needs of the SpaceDot team’s satellites, and a communication board adapted from the Libre Space Foundation’s SatNOGS platform. This validation ensures these components are ready for broader application in future space missions.
“Optical communication is a big achievement for CubeSats,” explained Panagiotis Vamvakas, Project Manager for PeakSat. “It offers higher data rates, better security, and eliminates spectrum licensing challenges. It is now the ideal choice for modern satellite applications. PeakSat will explore this challenging new path, and will provide invaluable insights for future satellite missions to adopt this technology more broadly.”
Collaboration between academia and industry enabled faster R&D for PeakSat
Currently, technology transfer from academia to industry takes approximately up to 5 years. According to Vamvakas, such collaborations as one with Astrolight can speed this process up.
“This partnership shows how important the collaboration between academia and industry is. Eventually, various innovations can be adopted sooner, and together, they create solutions that bridge the gap between research and real-world applications,” he added.
Mačiulis highlighted the importance of collaboration in the space industry.
“Our collaboration with AUTh has far more reaching consequences than simply to provide the ATLAS-1 terminal. It will allow us to advance our solutions based on actual mission feedback, creating a stronger foundation for future innovations in space optical communication,” concluded Mačiulis.
According to Vamvakas, this partnership resembles a critical step toward unlocking the full potential of optical communication for the next generation of satellite missions.
“Usually, there’s a big gap between research and practical applications. With such collaborations, there’s no delay, which is usually the bottleneck in the latest, rapidly advancing technologies like laser communication. That’s why PeakSat’s mission is much more than just a technical collaboration. It’s an opportunity to test and showcase the potential of laser communication in real-world conditions,” he concluded.
The PeakSat mission is a key initiative under the Greek National Satellite Space Project, jointly launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance. The project draws funding from multiple sources, including the EU’s Next Generation program and Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Fund.
With close support from ESA’s Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications, this endeavor represents a significant step in Greece’s space capabilities, implemented through the EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Facility.
„The collaboration between Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Astrolight on the PeakSat mission exemplifies the dynamic growth we’re fostering in Greece’s space sector. ESA is proud to support this partnership, which will advance optical communication capabilities and demonstrate how academic-industry collaboration can drive technological progress in Europe’s space economy,” said Frederic Rouesnel, Greek Connectivity RRF Project Manager at ESA.
The mission is funded by the EU’s Next Generation program, the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance, and the National Recovery and Resilience Fund.
Assessment of the operational efficiency of the Holomondas OGS under various conditions, including weather and elevation scenarios, will be evaluated after the expected launch on the 1st of October, 2025.
December 19, 2024–Vilnius, Lithuania
Photonics to Power Space Sector Growth in 2025: Industry CEOs Bet on Laser Communication
Europe advances its space ambitions with IRIS²–a local option that compares to Starlink and other internet networks. Industry leaders reveal that the adoption of laser communication will play a key role in determining leading players in the space market.
Right before the end of 2024, the EU has marked the next step in the space industry–contracts have been awarded for a €10.6 billion IRIS² satellite constellation project as a response to the fast-growing spaceborne internet networks such as Starlink.
Officials believe it is a critical step in Europe’s ambitions to create a resilient and secure communication network, resembling growing competitiveness in the field. While space industry growth will also be driven by fields such as materials science, propulsion systems, AI, and international cooperation, industry experts emphasize that it is just the beginning.
They predict that in 2025, the photonics industry will become one of the key factors determining who will lead the “new Space age,” largely driven by laser communication technologies.
“Photonics will be at the center of the space industry’s next growth phase,” said Antanas Laurutis, CEO of Altechna, a leading global photonics manufacturing company. “Security, safety, and scalability of photonics technology make it indispensable for the challenges of tomorrow, especially in enabling laser communication networks. Only the players implementing this technology will take the lead in the space industry.”
Earlier this year, laser communication was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. It was praised for its ability to transfer vast amounts of data in a faster and more secure manner when compared to traditional radio frequencies (RFs). Additionally, the satellite laser communication market size was estimated to grow at a CAGR of 40% until 2032.
However, the European space sector, despite recent initiatives like IRIS², still faces structural challenges. Unlike the United States, where collaboration between NASA, the Space Development Agency, and private companies like SpaceX has driven exponential growth, Europe’s space efforts remain fragmented.
Laurynas Mačiulis, CEO of Astrolight, a space tech company specializing in dual-use laser communication systems, also believes that photonics will “skyrocket the space industry” next year. However, he raised concerns about whether Europe will play a pivotal part in adopting practical laser communication links faster than other space-faring nations.
“Europe has the technology and talent, but we’re still lacking the political cohesion, speed, and private investments needed to fully realize the potential of projects like IRIS²,” said Mačiulis. “USA and China are already moving ahead with major satellite constellation projects and performing inter-satellite laser communication link tests in orbit. Interestingly, European companies are taking the lead in the supply of laser communication systems in the US, but struggle to find a market in Europe. This means that if we want to leverage the strength of our R&D and know-how, Europe should not close off from the US but keep working together.”
Astrolight, recently selected for Phase 2 of NATO DIANA, an accelerator program for the latest defense innovations, has been advancing laser communication technologies not only in defense but also in commercial applications.
Laurutis pointed out that technologically, laser communication has reached a point where it can be utilized on large-scale space applications due to the market’s readiness.
“Photonics is no longer a niche in the space sector; it’s becoming mainstream, and the ones missing on it should be ready to make mistakes. However, to truly succeed, Europe must also address the gaps in collaboration and funding. The space sector needs strong public-private partnerships to ensure that advancements don’t remain siloed in research labs.”
Both Laurutis and Mačiulis agree that the upcoming year could redefine how Europe positions itself in the global space race.
“The ones who will integrate high throughput and secure laser communication technologies on a large scale will probably win. However, the future of space isn’t just about technology–it’s also about alignment,” Mačiulis concluded. “With better coordination and investment, Europe has the chance to go hand in hand with the US as leading space powers. The IRIS² project is a step for the European space sector’s growth, but it’s the commercialization of such technologies and international collaboration that will truly propel the space sector forward. This is going to be a great space race to watch next year.”
October, 2024 – Vilnius, Lithuania
Astrolight Advances Laser Communication Tech in Market Set for $15B Expansion and 40% Growth
As the global satellite laser communications market is projected to grow at a 40% CAGR, reaching $15 billion by 2032, the adoption of laser communications in low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites is powering this growth. Astrolight, a Lithuanian space-tech company pioneering lasercom, contributes to this shift by passing key performance tests to advance the technology.
The demand for faster, more secure communication systems has led to a surge in the satellite laser communications market, expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40% from 2024 to 2032. According to experts from Astrolight, a space tech company that provides dual-use lasercom solutions, the demand for optical connectivity in low Earth orbit (LEO) shows the upcoming shift in capabilities to provide more actionable information from space at speeds never seen before.
Laser communication provides advantages for LEO satellites
Laser communication presents many opportunities, such as more than 10x faster data transfer, reduced latency, and more secure, unjammable connections when compared to traditional radio frequency-based systems. For many industries relying on satellite communications, laser communication represents a leap in capability that echoes the move from dial-up to fiber internet connectivity.
“We’re now seeing some bold announcements revealing the scale of laser communication technology. The latest NASA experiments showcased that we’ve reached a new level in deep-space laser communication that would enable us to stream Netflix from Mars,” said Laurynas Mačiulis, CEO of Astrolight. “We should not forget that this technology can also improve near-Earth satellite communications, where an immediate impact on satellite bandwidth is obvious. The recent proliferation of LEO satellites has garnered a lot of progress in satellite internet connectivity and remote sensing, and with optical communication, these satellites will become even more powerful.”
Previously, the satellite market was dominated by geostationary satellites. However, LEO satellites are closer to Earth, offering higher-definition imagery and faster response times.
As of today, most of the LEO satellites belong to Starlink, which provides global internet coverage through its constellation. These satellites similarly help address the growing demand for constant monitoring and real-time data, especially in areas such as defense and Earth observation.
Key players in the satellite-to-ground laser links competing for innovation
Currently, the emerging and leading low-SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) laser communication terminals for satellite-to-ground data transfer include Astrolight’s ATLAS, ClydeSpace’s CubeCAT, and Tesat’s SCOT20. Each offers its approach to meeting demands for speed and establishing reliable data links from space. While CubeCAT and SCOT20 models have more heritage, ATLAS has several features that outperform competitors in power, data rate, and adaptability.
Due to its proprietary fiber optical amplifier design, ATLAS can beam its laser at a very high output power, which enables it to support a 10 Gbps data link from LEO to the ground using a relatively small ground station telescope.
In contrast, other systems max out at lower speeds, which limits their capacity for fast, high-volume data transmission. The high transmit power also significantly increases the reliability of the data link for a given size of receiving telescope.
“From a technical perspective, ATLAS is the only one of the above-mentioned terminals which has a two-aperture design. Each aperture can be individually optimized for sending, receiving, and tracking the ground station simultaneously to establish a connection quickly and reliably,” added Mačiulis. “The only missing part until now were space qualification tests, that have been successfully completed this October, demonstrating that our terminal is ready to fly to space.”
Recently at Tartu Observatory, the ATLAS optical terminal has completed a series of performance tests. These included thermal vacuum (TVAC), vibration, and shock experiments. The terminal demonstrated resilience under extreme conditions, remaining fully operational with all systems performing within specifications.
„While recent deep space applications showcased by NASA are exciting, the focus is now on practical uses closer to home, particularly in LEO, where we can deliver faster, more secure data transmission from space to ground,” concluded Mačiulis.
September 10, 2024 – Vilnius, Lithuania
Astrolight Selected Among Top 10 Defence Innovators to Join Phase II of NATO DIANA
Astrolight moves forward in NATO’s DIANA by pioneering laser communication for terrestrial and space-borne defence. Replacing conventional radio frequency links with 10x faster, unjammable and undetectable laser communication technology is poised to benefit the Alliance.
Astrolight, a Lithuanian tech startup dedicated to facilitating space-to-Earth and ship-to-ship laser communication, has been selected as one of 10 innovative companies to join the second phase of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).
The 10 companies were part of a larger 44 company cohort that were the top 4% of the applicants to the newly formed DIANA, an organisation set up by NATO Allies in 2023 aimed at tackling complex security challenges with disruptive dual-use technologies.
As part of Phase II, Astrolight will receive additional funding of up to €300 000, as well as tailored programming, investor networking, and adoption opportunities.
„While we truly believe our products can bring a change in how humanity communicates in space, applying our technology where it can benefit our NATO partners the most is one of our priorities. This includes terrestrial and space applications and the defence sector in particular, which could benefit from increased security and resistance to jamming that our products can provide. Laser communication is poised to enable unique capabilities in the dual-use segment and we are here to showcase this,” said Laurynas Mačiulis, CEO of Astrolight.
Astrolight is developing unjammable, undetectable, high-bandwidth laser communication for multi-domain operations. Secure, interference-resistant communication systems are essential for defence operations in space, sea, air and on the ground. Astrolight’s laser communication technology offers these solutions, aiming to provide NATO a secure alternative to conventional radio frequency communications, vulnerable to electronic warfare attacks.
One of the innovations for which Astrolight has been selected for Phase II of DIANA is ATLAS, a space-to-Earth laser communication system. It enables 10x faster data transmission from ultra-high-resolution and hyperspectral sensors being integrated in current and future low Earth orbit satellites. Another of Astrolight’s developments – POLARIS – targets naval communication and is expected to retire the old signal lamp in radio-denied environments and situations requiring radio-silence, allowing NATO naval units to share tactical information at multi-gigabit per second speeds.
„NATO’s defence in the future depends on our capacity to keep up with emerging threats. The alliance will become quickly outmatched without developing breakthrough technologies. With our laser communication systems, we can make sure that NATO uses superior defence systems to protect its forces and maintain superiority in space and on Earth,” added Mačiulis.
The 10 companies come from seven nations, specialising in a range of technologies, ranging from quantum sensing and ultra-cold matter to renewable energy. Astrolight is the only selected company from Lithuania.
To move into Phase II, innovators had to demonstrate progress in their commercial and defence market potential, the technical viability and novelty of their solutions, and their investment readiness. Review panels comprised technical, defence and innovation experts.
“We’re proud to announce the ten innovative companies moving into Phase II,” said Professor Deeph Chana, Managing Director of DIANA. “To solve complex security and resilience problems, we need an ecosystem of creative, collaborative innovators willing to bring their talent and expertise to bear. These ten innovators, and indeed all of our first cohort, are paving the way for a strong pipeline of innovation for Allied nations to adopt.”
The next phase of the NATO DIANA program takes Astrolight closer to providing resilient communication to NATO forces across all domains. With advanced laser communication technology, Astrolight can help boost NATO’s communication capabilities at the strategic, operational and tactical levels when operating against near-peer adversaries.
Vilnius, 10 August 2022
Astrolight demonstrates space-to-ground laser communication link
Wireless laser communication systems developer Astrolight successfully performed a satellite-to-ground laser communication test using a portable OGS-1 optical ground station.
Astrolight, working with the European Space Agency (ESA), established the laser communication
link using the OGS-1 optical ground station, located near ESA’s Izaña-1 (IZN-1) ground station,
located at Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Spain, and an experimental laser transmitter system Osiris
onboard the ‘Flying Laptop’ satellite, flying in low Earth orbit at around 600 km altitude.
The final objective of this test campaign is to demonstrate a reliable, high-bit-rate ad-hoc low-Earth
orbit (LEO)-to-ground laser communication capability between a representative satellite and
Astrolight’s OGS-1 portable optical ground station.
The experiment highlighted the unique portability and ease-of-use of Astrolight's solution. The
complete system, including the telescope, receive optical head, tracking computer, detector and
modem, was disassembled at Astrolight’s facility in Vilnius, Lithuania, and placed into four pieces
of luggage each under 32 kg, which were then transported 480 km by a compact SUV, placed on a
plane via regular check-in desk, flown to Tenerife and then transported up the mountain by car.
Astrolight’s OGS-1 was then reassembled and ready for operation in two hours, which is also the
time it took to prepare the ground station for the trip.
With OGS-1 operating from a car battery, a light signal transmitted from the Flying Laptop satellite,
equipped with the OSIRIS optical communication terminal, was successfully coupled into the
detector despite the uncharacteristically strong wind conditions at Teide Observatory at the time.
Besides LEO-to-ground downlink experiments, special calibration procedures for satellite tracking
with the portable mount were tested and various large pieces of space debris and satellites were
tracked.
The repeated tracking experiments showcased the OGS-1 tracking software’s ability to compensate
for imperfect mounting and actuation of the telescope using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
equipment. The week-long test campaign concluded with successful disassembly of the ground
station and a journey back to Vilnius, where OGS-1 was also operational immediately after the trip.
“We were able to couple the signal from the satellite laser transmitter into a 105 μm fibre while the
satellite was travelling at 7.8 km/s, about 2000 km away from us at 5 degrees of elevation above the
horizon,” says Laurynas Mačiulis, Astrolight co-founder and CEO.
ESA is presently upgrading the Agency’s optical ground station at Tenerife, which until now could
only be used for laser ranging, with an optical communication package.
“For this optical communication test, we are tracking and receiving a laser light signal from LEO at
ESA’s IZN-1 station using the portable ground station from Astrolight as well as with our existing
laser terminal,” says Clemens Heese, Head of the Optical Technologies Section at the European
Space Agency
“By performing this test with two terminals simultaneously, we can see and study differences in the
links, which is very useful for joint assessment and for optimising the respective systems – there
was a lot of engineering discussion which was very fruitful for both ESA and Astrolight.
“This test was important because a portable optical ground station that you can pack in a suitcase
and move to a place where you need to send or receive data offers a lot of possibilities for
connecting remote locations – like disaster areas – that don’t have data communications.”
The test aimed to verify the portability and ruggedness of Astrolight’s portable optical ground
station design. The terminal provided excellent performance despite being subject to rough handling
and mechanical stress during the trip to Teide Observatory and being operation in very windy
conditions.
“Our next milestone is to develop and install a larger optical ground station permanently situated in
southern Europe. It will re-use design elements from our portable system but with a larger telescope
and will be capable of achieving 10 Gbps downlink speeds from LEO satellites. We plan to install
the ground station by Q1 of next year,” says Laurynas Mačiulis.
Strong need for satellite laser communication
The volume of data that needs to be transmitted from Earth to space and vice versa is growing
tremendously. The needed data throughput will only increase with the expansion of spaceflight
activities in all domains, including weather forecasting, broadcast, data relay, scientific and climate
data gathering and navigation services, as well as human missions.
The revolution that fibre internet has brought to terrestrial internet data capabilities is comparable to
what laser communication can bring to the ‘space internet’. Laser communication is by its nature
much more secure, has a much narrower beam width and is more difficult to intercept or jam. Laser
communication will enable next-gen security and the implementation of protocols working with
quantum principles, such as quantum key distribution for a secure key exchange.
“We are at the technology development stage where the support of ESA and its infrastructure is
crucial, and we are extremely satisfied with our cooperation,” says Laurynas Mačiulis.
This test is the first cooperation in the field of free space optical communications between the
European Space Agency and the Lithuanian-based company Astrolight.
Vilnius, 9 August 2021
Astrolight performs the first operational test of the mobile optical ground station for LEO satellites
Astrolight, a start-up company specializing in free-space optical communication systems, has performed initial long-range ground test of its mobile optical ground station for LEO satellites, achieving Gigabit per second data rate over 10-kilometer distance. The test was performed by transmitting modulated optical signal at 1550 nm to the retroreflector located on Vilnius TV tower, which reflected the signal back to the receiver. Visible wavelength laser beacon was used for initial telescope alignment. The system was able to achieve better than 10 arcsec pointing accuracy to acquire and track the signal. Although communication distance was far less than a typical link distance to LEO satellite, the impact of atmospheric turbulence under test conditions was comparable or even more severe than in LEO-to-ground scenario, thus allowing to evaluate system performance under similar conditions with respect to atmospheric effects. Overall, results of conducted tests demonstrated that a ground station built from commercial off-the-shelf components can be used for free-space optical communication.
“This marks the first successful milestone in our effort to develop a scalable and cost-effective ground station for free space optical communication”, Astrolight co-founder and CEO, Vidmantas Tomkus says. The company plans to start tests with actual satellites by end of this year.
Most of Earth Observation satellites are still using X-band to download their images, but as the demand for data and number of satellites are constantly increasing, the limited radio-frequency spectrum becomes a bottleneck for further growth. Optical-frequency spectrum offers almost unlimited bandwidth and thus could greatly contribute to solving the data throughput problem of LEO satellites. The main challenge of optical communication for satellites are clouds – lasers simply cannot work their way through optically opaque materials. Thankfully, satellites can cover a vast area on Earth, so by increasing the number of ground stations globally, the overall access availability could be significantly increased, reaching similar level as that for radio-frequency communications.
“You really need a global network of distributed optical ground stations operating in low-cloud-cover regions to overcome this problem. We can no longer rely on existing astronomical observatories, but must build a new network, specifically designed for satellite communications with customer needs in mind. That is why Astrolight is following a commercial off-the-shelf approach to build its optical ground stations, so that in the end the cost of operating such a network could be competitive in the market“, Astrolight co-founder and COO, Laurynas Maciulis, says.
Astrolight was founded in 2019 with a vision to build a global optical communications network that will provide high throughput and enhanced security data link services for commercial and governmental satellite operators. The founding team has more than 10 years of experience in fields of photonics and satellite telecommunications. Astrolight is currently based in Science and Technology Park of Institute of Physics – the cluster with highest concentration of laser and photonics related technology companies in Vilnius, Lithuania.
December 8, 2021
A NEW LITHUANIAN SPACE TECHNOLOGY COMPANY HAS ATTRACTED FUNDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL FREE SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
“One of the main reasons we decided to invest in Astrolight is that we trusted the company’s management and the entire team,” says Gytenis Galkis, a partner at 70 Ventures.
This company has great potential. The product it develops – the transmission of data by laser communication between objects on Earth or between objects in space – is relevant. We see that the field is evolving rapidly and these people have all the necessary competencies to create such a product.”
According to G. Galkis, the challenge to help Astrolight was accepted: “Our main task is to commercialize the product and find customers as soon as possible. We see the potential and the opportunity to expand globally.”
“This investment is a great motivation for our team. When others trust you and the product you are developing, it makes you realize that you are moving in the right direction and more people are seeing the prospect of the product you are developing,” says Vidmantas Tomkus, Director of Astrolight.
“The 70 Ventures VC fund, together with businessman Vladas Lašas, other LitBAN business angels and the European Space Agency, have invested more than half a million euros to complete and commercialize what we have started and to perform further technological research in the area in which we work.”
“The communication technology we are developing enables us to increase the data bandwidth in space up to millions of times,” says Laurynas Mačiulis, Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Astrolight.
Data transferred from space to Earth is projected to increase 14-fold over the next decade to more than 500 billion gigabytes. The existing satellite radio spectrum will no longer be sufficient to transmit such data and will require a switch to optical spectrum, similar to the switch to fiber Internet on Earth.
Once the prototype is in place, we plan to develop a broadband network of terrestrial optical ground stations to transmit growing geoinformation data from space to Earth.
Asked if he sees progress among Lithuanian companies seeking to work actively in the space industry, G. Galkis replied that such progress is happening: “Vladas Lašas is one of the initiators driving the expansion of this industry and we can already see many exciting achievements.
About seven years ago, we only heard the name of one company working in this industry in Lithuania. And now more and more Lithuanian companies are appearing, they are noticeable all over the world. ”
Astrolight was founded in 2019 by researchers from the Center for Physical and Technological Sciences and VILNIUS TECH University. The company is currently developing free-space optical communication systems with higher data throughput and security compared to radio communications.
The company aims to engage in larger high-tech production chains for satellite telecommunications equipment, by providing laser communication systems for low Earth orbit and interplanetary communications in the near future.
Astrolight currently employs 11 highly qualified staff, including physicists, fiber optic laser engineers, mechanical and electronics design engineers and software developers.