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The ERMIS-3 8U CubeSat has established an optical communications link with the Holomondas Optical Ground Station in Greece, according to the European Space Agency. The demonstration tested the satellite’s ability to point, acquire and track a laser link; data rates, link duration and operational performance have not been disclosed.
The ERMIS-3 8U CubeSat, developed by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, has established a laser communications link with Greece’s Holomondas Optical Ground Station, the European Space Agency said. The demonstration marks Greece’s first optical link with a low Earth orbit satellite and tests a key capability for sending data between small spacecraft and Earth.
The satellite used an ATLAS-1 optical terminal made by Lithuanian company Astrolight, paired with a terminal at Holomondas, known as HolOGS-1. The station was developed by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. ESA said the connection was made only weeks after ERMIS-3 completed commissioning, although it did not give the date, duration or data volume of the link.
The demonstration tested pointing, acquisition and tracking, or PAT: the ability to aim the laser toward the ground receiver, establish contact and maintain alignment as the satellite crosses the sky. ESA said it contributed technical expertise, including environmental testing and optical alignment at its European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands.
ERMIS-3 launched on March 30, 2026, alongside ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2. The three-satellite programme is an in-orbit demonstration effort for communications technologies aimed at small spacecraft. The mission is part of Greece’s National Space Programme, implemented by ESA on behalf of the Greek government.
Laser Links Could Expand CubeSat Data Return
Optical communications use narrow laser beams rather than radio-frequency signals. The focused beams can support high data rates, making the technology a potential way to move large datasets from small satellites to Earth. That could be useful for missions collecting high-resolution or hyperspectral imagery, where the volume of observations can put pressure on conventional downlink capacity.
But the ERMIS-3 demonstration is a step toward that possibility, not evidence that the satellite is already providing a high-volume operational service. Laser links require precise alignment between a moving spacecraft and a ground receiver, and contact is limited to the time the satellite is in view. Clouds can block the signal, while atmospheric turbulence can reduce its quality. The reported link shows that the system achieved contact under the conditions of the demonstration; the published account does not provide performance measurements.
The result also carries a national and institutional dimension. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki described the contact as Greece’s first successful optical link with a LEO satellite, made with a Greek space asset. ESA and the mission team present it as an example of cooperation among university researchers, industry and public institutions. Its wider significance will depend on whether future operations can repeat the link and deliver useful communications performance.
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A Greek Satellite Built to Test Communications
ERMIS-3 is an 8U CubeSat—a small satellite built from units measuring 10 centimetres on each side. The ERMIS programme is testing technologies intended for small satellites, and the laser terminal on ERMIS-3 gives the mission an opportunity to test optical communications in orbit rather than only in laboratory conditions.
Before launch, ESA supported the project with technical work at ESTEC, including environmental testing and optical alignment. Those activities helped prepare the terminal and satellite for operation, but the in-orbit link was the test of whether the equipment could establish contact through the moving satellite-to-ground geometry. ESA’s report says the link followed commissioning by only weeks.
Unlike a radio system, an optical terminal must keep a tightly directed beam aligned with its receiver. The spacecraft travels at several kilometres per second, and the ground station has to acquire and track it during a short pass. Weather and atmospheric effects also shape whether a given pass can support communication, so a successful contact is a meaningful technical demonstration but does not by itself establish routine availability.
“Using ATLAS-1 as a laser communications terminal has led to a unique collaboration and the first operations of a laser optical link on the CubeSat.”
— Professor Vaios Lappas and Antonis Paschalis, ERMIS principal investigators
Link Performance Figures Not Yet Reported
ESA’s account does not state how long the connection lasted, how much data was transferred, what data rate was achieved, or whether the link was maintained throughout a satellite pass. It also does not provide a comparison with radio communications or describe how the system performed under different weather conditions. Those details are needed to judge practical capacity and reliability.
The report characterizes this as a demonstration of a main mission objective, particularly precise pointing, acquisition and tracking. It does not say that optical communications are now available as a routine service from ERMIS-3, nor does it report a schedule for repeated links. The account likewise gives no further operational results from ERMIS-1 or ERMIS-2.
Further Operations Will Test Repeatability
The next useful evidence will be whether ERMIS-3 can establish further links and report measured results such as contact duration, data volume and signal quality. Repeated passes would help show how the satellite terminal and Holomondas station perform beyond the initial milestone, including how weather and atmospheric conditions affect contact.
ESA and the ERMIS team have not announced a timetable for additional demonstrations or published specific performance targets in the report. The programme’s stated purpose is to test communications technologies in orbit, so further mission updates will be needed to clarify the terminal’s operational capabilities and its potential use on other small satellites.
Key Questions
What did ERMIS-3 achieve?
It established an optical laser link with the Holomondas Optical Ground Station in Greece, according to ESA. The test involved the satellite’s ability to point toward, acquire and track the ground terminal.
Why is this link described as a first for Greece?
ESA and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki described it as Greece’s first successful optical link with a low Earth orbit satellite, made from the Holomondas station with the Greek ERMIS-3 satellite.
Who made the satellite’s optical terminal?
The satellite carries an ATLAS-1 terminal developed by Astrolight, a Lithuanian company. It communicated with a terminal at the Holomondas station, developed by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
How much data did the satellite send?
The ESA report does not provide a data volume, data rate or link duration. It confirms that a connection was established, but gives no figures for its capacity or performance.
What could optical links be used for?
Laser links may help small satellites send large datasets to Earth, including high-resolution and hyperspectral imagery. Their practical use depends on precise tracking, suitable atmospheric conditions and repeated operational performance.
Source: esa.int
