The Republic of Lithuania sits in Europe's northern stretch, with the eastern shores boarding the Baltic Sea. The nation has set its sights on playing a pivotal role in the world’s race to expand economic, scientific, and defense operations in space.
As the space industry grows, effective communication has become a central concern. Fast, secure transmissions, like those enabled through laser-based communication, are essential to maintain safety and security between the ground and Earth’s orbit. Using tight, focused lasers to convey information is quickly moving out of the research lab and into the real world.
While few quantum computers are used today for real-world applications, laser communication could soon become a standard in the space industry. Because the Lithuanian laser industry already supplies laser technology to leading research universities and companies across the world, the nation’s companies are poised to help bring this next step in space communications into reality.
One place where laser technology has become a hot topic is the Innovation Agency Lithuania, which was established in 2022 to promote growth in the nation's science and technology sectors. The agency has since created a specialized unit called Space Hub LT. This unit is designed to promote an ecosystem of space companies and technologies that can bolster the nation’s space footprint.
"Optical communication and quantum computing are pivotal future technologies for ensuring the EU's strategic autonomy, and it is highly encouraging to see the Lithuanian laser sector contributing to these challenges," says Egle Elena Sataite, who heads Space Hub LT. "It is essential to highlight that expertise accumulated in this field is now being successfully leveraged within the space sector."
Lasers in space
Lithuania has fostered one of the most important laser technology ecosystems in Europe. Today, Lithuanian laser companies export their products to more than 80 countries for use in a wide range of industries, like aerospace, healthcare, and manufacturing.
With five research centers and universities and more than 60 companies focused on lasers, the nation has established itself as a leader in optical communications and quantum computing. Today, you can find Lithuanian lasers used in NASA labs, as well as Harvard research facilities.
"Lithuania offers unique solutions, such as 'Integrated Optics,' participating in ESA and Horizon Europe projects, showcasing our niche capabilities," Sataite says. "Furthermore, the European Space Agency (ESA) has shown significant interest in Lithuanian laser-based solutions."
In June last year, Vilnius-based high-tech manufacturer Integrated Optics reached a historic milestone when one of its lasers was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, becoming the first Lithuanian-made laser to successfully operate in space.
"Lasers are a key enabling technology for modern space systems because they provide the precision, stability, and data capacity required for increasingly complex missions," says Evaldas Pabrėža, CEO of Integrated Optics. "They are used for accurate distance measurements, navigation, surface and atmospheric mapping, and optical communication, where laser links can transmit significantly more data than traditional radio systems while using less mass and power."
As a part of the University of Vienna’s quantum computing mission, Integrated Optics' 405 nm SLM laser successfully held up under the extreme conditions of space and functioned flawlessly, paving the way for future quantum computing to be used in space operations.
"Many emerging space technologies are also closely tied to advances in quantum technologies and photonics. Applications such as quantum communication, precision timing, and fundamental physics experiments rely on exceptionally stable and well-controlled laser sources," Pabrėža says. "Integrated Optics plays an important role in turning these concepts into practical space systems by combining multiple optical functions into compact and mechanically stable designs. This approach is particularly valuable for quantum applications, where reproducibility and long-term stability are essential."
Now that the experiment has proven that the laser works in space, Pabrėža is looking forward to further experiments.
"Demonstrating such technologies in orbit is a crucial step," he said. "Having fully operational, space-qualified laser systems already working in low Earth orbit provides strong validation that integrated, compact laser designs can meet the demanding requirements of space and support future scientific and quantum-enabled missions."
Laser highways
Astrolight is a Lithuanian tech startup developing laser communication technology, also called optical communication, which is used to improve communications both in space and for defense. The tight, focused lasers create a 'highway' for the information to travel between points.
While spacecraft sending messages and data back to Earth have traditionally relied on radio communication, lasers offer benefits, like faster data transfer, better security, and a lighter weight.
Astrolight has created a low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) laser terminal called ATLAS-1. This terminal will give small satellite operators the ability to use optical communications in orbit, which will make space-to-Earth transmissions more affordable and more secure, as well as increase the bandwidth.
"Smallsat operators have long faced the issue of having to sacrifice data traffic due to the limitations of radio spectrum and antenna size," Laurynas Mačiulis, Astrolight CEO and cofounder, said in a recent statement. "Because ATLAS-1 is laser-based, it provides high data rates, but with equipment that is smaller and more affordable than many other solutions on the market."
In March 2026, ATLAS-1 terminals will launch on a pair of satellites aboard the Transporter-16 mission from SpaceX. The two satellites are under Greece’s national small satellite initiative that’s supported by ESA. ATLAS-2, the product’s second generation, enabling inter-satellite optical links, is also under development now.
"With orbit becoming more crowded, operators relying on traditional radio-frequency links are facing growing spectrum licensing limitations and increasing exposure to unintentional interference," Mačiulis said in the statement. "Integrating laser communication into space systems is one of the best ways to deliver secure, high-throughput connectivity while reducing dependence on scarce RF spectrum and its constraints."
Aside from space communications, Astrolight’s technology can also benefit ground communications, especially when it’s important that the data being transmitted is secure and cannot be disrupted by adversaries.
The company’s solution, ship-to-ship laser communication terminal POLARIS, was also tested for a second time at NATO’s largest naval exercise, REPMUS 2025, in Portugal.
Into the future
Lithuania has deep roots in the laser industry. After the first laser was built in 1960 at Hughes Research Laboratory in California, researchers at Vilnius University built Lithuania’s first laser in 1966.
Since then, many of the world’s lasers that are used in various industries today have been built in Lithuania. EKSMA Optics has been around since 1983, making it one of Lithuania’s oldest laser companies.
Today, EKSMA Optics manufactures laser components — including flat and spherical optics — used in cameras and imaging systems for medical, defence, and research applications. The company has also pioneered polishing technologies for nonlinear and electro-optical crystals employed across a wide range of laser systems. By actively participating in international research projects, EKSMA Optics continuously deepens its expertise while expanding its product portfolio year after year. One such initiative is the LACE project, aimed at advancing knowledge of laser materials and laying the groundwork for innovative laser weapon prototypes — with a significant impact on the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).
"Lithuania has built a world-class foundation, and now has a major opportunity to expand from being strong in components and scientific systems into becoming even more influential in mission-critical photonics for industrial and space applications," says Dainius Tumosa, director for research and development at Eksma Optics.
With such a strong foundation to build from, it's no surprise that Lithuania is now contributing to the space and defense industries, as well as cutting-edge research, throughout Europe and the world through its companies' technology.
"Lithuania has already proven that it can be a global leader in laser and photonics technologies, but I would not say that its potential is exhausted," Tumosa says. "Quite the opposite: the strongest growth opportunities are still ahead."
