ESA chooses Lumino Technologies to develop mass-production ready optical ground stations for optical and quantum satellite network

28 Aug 2026

The European Space Agency (ESA) has contracted a consortium led by Lumino Technologies to develop new technologies for affordable networked ground stations adapted to mass production as part of the Agency’s Next-Generation Quantum & Optical Ground Stations (NG-OGS) Accelerator project, with support from the UK Space Agency.

The contract is part of ESA’s Optical and Quantum Communications – ScyLight programme line, a component of the Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme. ScyLight aims to foster the development, demonstration and use of innovative optical and quantum technologies by working with industry to develop manufacturing capabilities and identify market opportunities.

Under this contract, Lumino Technologies will aim to develop low-cost optical ground stations (OGS) with a simplified optics technology and installation process, helping the ground segment of future optical communications networks to scale up. A distributed network of OGS is crucial to introducing resilience against poor connection in adverse weather, and to multiply contact opportunities for satellites.

In addition to Lumino Technologies, the consortium comprises UK industry including Honeywell Aerospace UK, Wideblue and RAL Space. Through this contract for ESA’s NG-OGS Accelerator project, the consortium will mature critical technologies to ensure future ground stations can be produced at industrial scale and widely deployed. It will also establish a full product design and verify performance through controlled range trials.

The ScyLight programme line has made strides towards the refinement of crucial technologies for fast, high-capacity and secure communications in 2026, with the construction of new experimental OGS and the expansion of existing relationships with key industrial partners. Optical and quantum communication technologies answer an intensifying demand for secure access to space data, driven by the upsurge of satellites launched in recent years. The overall increase in satellites and the expanding size of space data sets has put the finite RF spectrum under strain and highlighted its vulnerability to interception and interference. This has reinforced the need for the faster and more secure space-to-ground communications offered by optical links, for both institutional and commercial users.

“The addition of Lumino Technologies to the ScyLight ecosystem is a great step towards Europe’s accelerating optical capabilities,” said Harald Hauschildt, Head of ESA’s Optical and Quantum Programme Office. “Optical ground stations are a vital component of our plans to advance European secure communications, and the ability to scale up their deployment will pave the way to a resilient and world-class optical communications system.”

Omar Iqbal, CEO of Lumino Technologies, said, “NG-OGS Accelerator tackles the cost and scale barriers standing in the way of widespread quantum and optical ground network infrastructure. This project will develop and trial crucial new approaches to overcoming the space-to-ground optical and quantum communications bottleneck. We are appreciative of ESA and the UKSA’s support in making this programme of work a reality.”

Henny Sands, Head of Satellite Communications at the UK Space Agency, said, “The NG-OGS Accelerator highlights the strength of UK innovation in tackling future communications challenges. By developing affordable, scalable optical ground stations, this project will help drive economic growth, strengthen national security and resilience, and reinforce the UK’s leadership in next-generation space communications.”

Juan Rivera, the Project Technical Officer at ESA, said, “The next generation of optical ground stations will establish a modular, and cost-effective infrastructure for scalable deployment of optical and quantum communication capabilities. With the support of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), Lumino and its partners aim at developing a product that will help realise this vision – lowering barriers to adoption and expanding global access to high-capacity optical space communications and QKD systems like the leading ESA QKDSat project.”

Lisa Napolitano, vice president and general manager for Space at Honeywell Aerospace, said, “The NG-OGS Accelerator marks a significant step forward for satellite communications in the UK and beyond. We are proud to collaborate on the project and to provide our expertise on the transceiver technology. The transceiver is a key part of how we connect satellites with ground stations. It makes it possible to turn laser signals from space into signals that can travel through optical fibre, and then into radio signals for everyday use. By meeting international standards, it means our technology can work with a range of different systems and equipment, helping everything to operate smoothly together.”