ERMIS-3 CubeSat establishes Greece's first optical link with a low Earth orbit satellite, ESA says

2 November 2026

The European Space Agency (ESA) reported that ERMIS-3, an 8U CubeSat built by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, has set up a laser link with an optical ground station. According to ESA, this is the first time Greece has made an optical link with a satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO). The satellite connected with the Holomondas Optical Ground Station, HolOGS-1, developed by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. It carries the ATLAS-1 optical terminal made by Astrolight, a Lithuanian company. Laser links send data in narrow beams and allow high data rates, but the beam must be aimed precisely at a fast-moving satellite. ERMIS-3 was launched on 30 March 2026 with ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2 under Greece's National Space Programme, which ESA runs for the Greek government. ESA tested and aligned it at ESTEC in the Netherlands.