Cailabs set for expansion with €57M finance deal

17 Sep 2025

Support from the European Investment Bank and private equity will aid roll-out of optical ground stations for satellite data links.

Laser links

Cailabs, the Rennes, France, company specializing in space-based laser communications, says it has raised €57 million that will help it scale up the delivery of optical ground stations.

The latest financial support combines €37 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) with €20 million from other backers including the French armed forces ministry, Luxembourg private equity group New Space Capital, Paris-based Starquest Capital, and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund.

Cailabs, which has also signed a new deal with major European satellite operator SES, will use the investment to increase its production of optical ground stations to as many as 50 per year by 2027, and to expand its international presence.

The company says that it currently has “more than ten” optical ground stations under contract, but has recently established an industrial platform capable of assembling and validating up to five stations in parallel.

New Virginia office
In a press release Jean-François Morizur, the CEO and co-founder of Cailabs, said: “This funding round reflects our solid fundamentals and the confidence investors have in our strategic vision. It enables us to scale up industrial capabilities and prepare for the next stage of growth.”

Ambroise Fayolle, VP at the EIB, added: “Space technologies are increasingly important for civilian use as well as for security and defense applications. As the bank of the European Union, the EIB supports Cailabs’ investments in manufacturing capabilities and in research and development of its laser communication technologies.

“The project is fully aligned with the EIB strategic priorities of security and defense, and technological innovation under its TechEU program.”

News of the boost to Caliabs’ financial position comes just a couple of weeks after the company said it had relocated its US headquarters from Washington, DC, to Arlington, Virginia, with expectations of 16 new jobs at the site.

Meanwhile Luxembourg-based SES says it will be testing out the capability of Cailabs’ optical ground stations to transmit data with lasers rather than radio waves, and therefore at much faster data rates.

“By using optical communication, SES expects to be able to boost data transmission speeds, provide more secure links, and help alleviate congestion in increasingly crowded radio frequency bands,” it announced.

“Unlike traditional radio signals, laser beams are nearly impossible to intercept or jam, making them ideal for secure government and business communications.”

Overcoming turbulence
But as SES also points out, the main challenge with optical communications in space is to overcome the turbulent nature of Earth’s atmosphere, which distorts and weakens optical signals.

“Cailabs solved this problem with technology called multi-plane light conversion (MPLC), which works like adaptive glasses that constantly adjust to keep the laser signal clear and strong,” noted the satellite firm.

Cailabs CEO Morizur added: “Our optical ground station technology, already field-proven with a variety of satellites and terminals, offers top performance in mitigating atmospheric turbulence and maintaining resilient communications, while delivering features that are essential for secure communications in today’s most demanding environments.”

The new ground stations from Cailabs, referred to as “TILBA-OGS L10”, will enable SES to begin testing space-to-ground optical links ahead of integrating them into commercial services.

Each station is able to handle two-way transmissions at a data rate of 10 Gb/s and can be operated remotely, making them practical for widespread deployment.

Carmel Ortiz, the senior VP of MEO Programs at SES, said: “Optical communication can provide much higher bandwidth, better data security, and less risk of spectrum congestion.

“The Cailabs optical ground stations can play a central role in our global network of gateways with access to high-throughput infrastructure.”