From Lithuania to orbit: Astrolight raises €2.8M for dual-use optical comms
Summary
Astrolight, a Lithuanian space communications company, has closed a seed round at 2.8 million led by frontier tech investor Balnord. Other key investors were EIFO, Coinvest Capital, and existing investors 3NGLS and Rita Sakus.Founded in 2019, Astrolight aims to provide end-to-end optical connectivity solutions by building complete and self-contained hardware for ground and space operational domains.Astrolight is developing a dual-use communication architecture that can handle both space-to-space and space-to-ground optical links. "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 regions strategic importance to Denmark and EIFO, said Louise Flyger, Investment Manager at EIFO.Astrolight has been previously selected for NATOs DIANA program, placing itself among the top 3 oer cent of NATOs 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.According to Marcin P. Kowalik, General Partner at Balnord, Astrolight represents the type of strategic investment that Europe needs, leveraging our regions technical excellence to build sovereign capabilities in critical infrastructure.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.