Lithuanian space startup Astrolight closed a €2.8M ($3.2M) seed round to build a laser comms network to link Earth and orbit.
Balnord led the round, which was announced on Thursday. It also included participation from the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, Coinvest Capital, 3NGLS, and Rita Sakus.
“Their high-speed, jam-resistant solutions are not only critical for the growing satellite market, but also represent the kind of frontier innovation that will define the next generation of space infrastructure,” Jarek Pilarczyk, operating partner at Balnord, said in a statement.
Meet Astrolight: Astrolight, which was founded in 2019, is working to develop an optical network for both space-to-space communications and space-to-ground data relay.
Laser communications offer a faster, more-secure way of pulling space data down to Earth than RF wavelengths, which dominate space communications. Laser also avoids the spectrum and bandwidth restrictions that plagues RF comms, meaning lasers can better keep pace with more data being collected in orbit each day.
“We believe laser communication will become the invisible optical backbone for the next generation of space connectivity,” CEO and Cofounder Laurynas Mačiulis said in a statement. “It’s not about replacing existing infrastructure, but rather about enabling what comes next.”
What’s next: The company is working towards two significant milestones:
- Setting up its first operational ground station;
- Demoing an optical terminal that could be used for both space-to-space and space-to-ground comms.
