Astrolight, a Lithuanian space communications company, has secured €2.8 million in a seed funding round led by frontier tech investor Balnord, alongside EIFO, Coinvest Capital, and existing investors 3NGLS and Rita Sakus. The investment will accelerate the development of a laser-based communication platform designed to securely connect satellites to Earth. As satellite constellations expand rapidly, the need for scalable, high-speed data transmission grows increasingly urgent. “Our long-term vision is to create the optical backbone network for space,” said CEO and co-founder Laurynas Mačiulis.
Astrolight is advancing a dual-use optical communication architecture capable of both space-to-space and space-to-ground connections. The company’s solution aims to offer optical communication as a service by combining proprietary and third-party terminals with a dedicated ground infrastructure. Upcoming milestones include the deployment of the first operational optical ground station and the demonstration of a hybrid terminal based on the modular ATLAS-1 design. “There’s no end-to-end experience – terminals, satellites, and ground infrastructure working as one,” Mačiulis added.
Astrolight’s mission has attracted strong backing from strategic investors. “We are incredibly excited to lead this investment round in Astrolight,” said Jarek Pilarczyk of Balnord. EIFO emphasized the geopolitical relevance of Arctic-region infrastructure, while Coinvest Capital highlighted the company’s global potential in secure laser communication. “Our investment in Astrolight reflects our strong belief in the company’s potential to become a global leader in laser communication technologies,” said Viktorija Trimbel, Managing Director at Coinvest Capital.
Astrolight addresses the limitations of radio frequency systems, which currently enable access to only around 20% of data generated in space. “They’re using radio frequencies now, but the RF spectrum is limited… Laser links offer higher data rates, exceptional security, but most importantly, they can scale the bandwidth,” said CTO Dalius Petrulionis. As over 70,000 LEO satellites are expected to launch in the next five years, the demand for laser communication infrastructure continues to grow. Rather than replacing existing systems, Astrolight aims to complement them as a foundational layer in future space connectivity.