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Space·1 min read

Ermis-3: Greek CubeSat Completes First Laser Link to Earth

Greece's Ermis-3 CubeSat has set up an optical laser link from low Earth orbit to a ground station on Mount Holomondas, a key milestone for ESA-backed technology.

A small cubesat in low Earth orbit sending a laser beam toward a ground station on a mountain in northern Greece.
Image: t3n Magazin
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A Greek small satellite has established a laser data link to the ground for the first time. Ermis-3 connected from low Earth orbit to the HolOGS-1 ground station on Mount Holomondas in northern Greece. The European Space Agency (ESA), which supports the project, described the run as an initial test.

Ermis-3 is an 8U CubeSat, a cube-shaped small satellite built from eight standardized modules. According to ESA, the link came together quickly. That means one of the mission's main goals has been met: precisely pointing, acquiring and tracking the target, known in the field as Pointing, Acquisition, Tracking.

Entirely European technology

The test relied solely on European hardware. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens developed the satellite, which launched in March 2026, while the ground terminal comes from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Lithuanian company Astrolight supplied the transmission technology. The systems were tested at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, in the Netherlands.

ESA manager Frederic Rouesnel said the result shows that Europe can produce innovation when industry, science and institutions work together. ESA contributed programme management, technical oversight and engineering support.

Faster, but more fragile

Optical communication sends data by laser, and the data rates are significantly higher than with conventional radio. The method is more demanding, though. The satellite travels around Earth at several thousand kilometers per hour and must aim the beam exactly at the receiver.

The window for a connection is also short. Weather matters as well: clouds can block the link, and atmospheric turbulence degrades signal quality. Even so, the technology is expected to give fresh momentum to sovereign wireless links on Earth.

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Tags:ermis-3esalaser communicationcubesatastrolightgreece

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