French shipbuilding giant Naval Group and Lithuanian space-tech company Astrolight signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The MoU marks the beginning of a collaboration between the two companies to test Astrolight’s POLARIS laser terminal on Naval Group’s vessels, exploring the potential for future integration of the technology. The partnership comes as Naval Group works to design a new multi-purpose vessel for the Lithuanian Navy, with plans to equip the ship with POLARIS.
Laser communication uses narrow, focused light beams that are nearly impossible to interfere with and detect. This new technology complements today’s cutting-edge technologies by mitigating risks associated with communication security, bandwidth, and data rate.
The new Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel developed by Naval Group is designed to be versatile, capable of adapting quickly to changing mission needs. It can be used for combat, transport, launching unmanned aerial vehicles, and even converting into a floating hospital in an emergency.
The MoU between Naval Group and Astrolight was signed at the Lithuanian Maritime Defence Industry Days in Vilnius, where Naval Group, Belgium Naval & Robotics, and Exail showcased their vision for a new ship tailored to the needs of the Lithuanian Navy. The event was organized by the Lithuanian Engineering and Technology Industry Association.
This year, Astrolight’s POLARIS laser terminal was successfully tested with the Lithuanian Navy, as well as at NATO’s REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger, the largest exercise focusing on maritime unmanned systems in the world, and NATO’s largest military exercise in Latvia, DiBax. There, Astrolight demonstrated jam-proof, undetectable, and high-bandwidth ship-to-ship and land-to-land laser-based communication links.
Astrolight contributes laser communication terminal technology to ESA’s HydRON Element 3 mission led by prime contractor Kepler Communications
Posted in Commentary with tags Astrolight, Kepler Communications on April 15, 2026 by itnerdKepler 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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