Kepler Communications is leading a group of industry partners, including Astrolight, a Lithuanian space and defense technology company developing laser communication solutions for space, ground, and maritime applications. The companies have been awarded a multimillion-euro contract under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) High-throughput Optical Network (HydRON) to develop HydRON’s user-terminal segment, known as Element 3. HydRON is a project under ESA’s Optical and Quantum Communications – Scylight programme, within the Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). Led by Kepler as the spacecraft provider and mission operator, Astrolight will provide its latest-generation ATLAS-X laser communication terminal for hybrid optical links across LEO, GEO, and ground.
The HydRON project aims to demonstrate the world’s first optical multi-orbit transport network in space, extending high-capacity, fibre-like connectivity into orbit and bolstering the resilience of European communications infrastructure through a secure, high-capacity, and interoperable optical data relay network.
HydRON’s Element 3 mission focuses on demonstrating the applications of laser communication technology within the user segment by creating a testing environment in real operating conditions. In the long term, it is intended to enable external commercial optical users to connect to the HydRON network and route their data through it.
As part of the mission, Astrolight’s ATLAS-X laser communication terminal will be hosted aboard a Kepler satellite for in-orbit demonstration. The mission will validate inter-satellite and space-to-ground links in LEO and attempt multi-orbit links between LEO and GEO. Following the demonstration, ATLAS-X will serve as a data relay node, enabling the Kepler spacecraft to connect with other elements of the HydRON network.
ATLAS-X is Astrolight’s next-generation low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) laser communication terminal, building on the company’s earlier ATLAS-1 and ATLAS-2 solutions. It is designed for both space-to-space and space-to-ground links and features a coarse pointing assembly, offering greater operational flexibility and easier deployment across a wider range of spacecraft. ATLAS-X is compatible with a subset of the ESA Specification for Terabit/sec Optical Links (ESTOL) standard and is SDA-compatible.
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This entry was posted on April 15, 2026 at 9:50 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Astrolight, Kepler Communications. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Astrolight contributes laser communication terminal technology to ESA’s HydRON Element 3 mission led by prime contractor Kepler Communications
Kepler Communications is leading a group of industry partners, including Astrolight, a Lithuanian space and defense technology company developing laser communication solutions for space, ground, and maritime applications. The companies have been awarded a multimillion-euro contract under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) High-throughput Optical Network (HydRON) to develop HydRON’s user-terminal segment, known as Element 3. HydRON is a project under ESA’s Optical and Quantum Communications – Scylight programme, within the Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). Led by Kepler as the spacecraft provider and mission operator, Astrolight will provide its latest-generation ATLAS-X laser communication terminal for hybrid optical links across LEO, GEO, and ground.
The HydRON project aims to demonstrate the world’s first optical multi-orbit transport network in space, extending high-capacity, fibre-like connectivity into orbit and bolstering the resilience of European communications infrastructure through a secure, high-capacity, and interoperable optical data relay network.
HydRON’s Element 3 mission focuses on demonstrating the applications of laser communication technology within the user segment by creating a testing environment in real operating conditions. In the long term, it is intended to enable external commercial optical users to connect to the HydRON network and route their data through it.
As part of the mission, Astrolight’s ATLAS-X laser communication terminal will be hosted aboard a Kepler satellite for in-orbit demonstration. The mission will validate inter-satellite and space-to-ground links in LEO and attempt multi-orbit links between LEO and GEO. Following the demonstration, ATLAS-X will serve as a data relay node, enabling the Kepler spacecraft to connect with other elements of the HydRON network.
ATLAS-X is Astrolight’s next-generation low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) laser communication terminal, building on the company’s earlier ATLAS-1 and ATLAS-2 solutions. It is designed for both space-to-space and space-to-ground links and features a coarse pointing assembly, offering greater operational flexibility and easier deployment across a wider range of spacecraft. ATLAS-X is compatible with a subset of the ESA Specification for Terabit/sec Optical Links (ESTOL) standard and is SDA-compatible.
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This entry was posted on April 15, 2026 at 9:50 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Astrolight, Kepler Communications. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.