Astrolight, a Lithuanian space communications company, has closed a seed round at €2.8 million led by frontier tech investor Balnord, with participation from EIFO, Coinvest Capital, 3NGLS, and Rita Sakus. This investment will enable the start-up to accelerate the development of its laser-based end-to-end communication platform that securely connects satellites to Earth. Astrolight aims to build sovereign European capabilities in critical infrastructure.
Funding backed by European investors
“Our long-term vision is to create the optical backbone network for space,” said Laurynas Mačiulis, CEO and co-founder of Astrolight. The amount of satellites and constellations is growing exponentially, but there’s still no scalable, secure way to consistently bring that data back to Earth. With laser communication, we’re closing that gap.”
According to Goldman Sachs Research, more than 70,000 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are expected to launch in the next five years. Along with these constellations, the demand for space-to-ground connectivity is increasing. Lasercom is becoming a competitive option to RF, providing more robust links and up to 100 times faster data rates. “We are incredibly excited to lead this investment round in Astrolight. We believe their experienced team has developed a truly groundbreaking optical communication technology that is essential to solving the rapidly approaching data bottleneck in space. 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,” shared Jarek Pilarczyk, Operating Partner at Balnord.
Earlier startup success
Earlier this year, Astrolight launched a Danish subsidiary to strengthen collaboration across the Nordics and deliver secure laser communication solutions for space assets in the Arctic region. This made Astrolight a both strategically important and also an obvious investment opportunity for EIFO (The Export and Investment Fund of Denmark). „This is a strategically important investment in a company whose technology plays a vital role in strengthening European space capabilities and resilience. Ground station in the Arctic is a milestone that EIFO is pleased to support as an investor, particularly given the region’s strategic importance to Denmark and EIFO,” said Louise Flyger, Investment Manager at EIFO.
Astrolight has been previously selected for NATO’s DIANA program, placing itself among the top 3% of NATO’s dual-use start-ups. It has participated in Seraphim Space and CASSINI accelerators, and has already established commercial contracts such as CAILABS, projects with the Lithuanian Navy, ESA programs, and more. This seed round is expected to accelerate both technical validation and international partnerships, positioning Astrolight as a leading European player in satellite communications.
Impact for European technological breakthrough
As space becomes increasingly contested, secure communication technologies developed in the EU will be vital not only for its economy but also for its technological sovereignty.