FundraiseOct 9, 2026, 14:02 UTC

Estonia's Golbriak Space raises €4M to mass-produce laser space terminals

What's the deal? Estonian startup Golbriak Space has raised €4 million in a seed round co-led by Join Capital and PhotonVentures. Takeoff, an accelerator run by Plug and Play within CDP Venture Capital's aerospace network, also joined. The company builds laser communication terminals for satellites and aircraft.

What's the endgame? Golbriak wants to scale production of its terminals to thousands of units. Its laser terminals transmit data via a narrow beam of light instead of radio waves, helping avoid crowded radio frequencies.

The company says its terminals need less precise pointing from the host satellite or drone, making them easier to integrate and letting a single platform carry several terminals. It designs its own optics, electronics, mechanics, and software, which can be configured for various networks and standards.

Why now? Golbriak traces its roots to a 2017 award-winning student project on two CubeSats communicating via lasers. Founded that year by Nicola Garzaniti and Simone Briatore and based in Tallinn, it had previously raised just $130,000 across two rounds, according to CB Insights.

The product: Golbriak offers two ranges — ERMESAI+ for space and ARES for aircraft. Its systems support data rates starting at 2.5 gigabits per second, with a 10 Gbps version planned for 2027. Its website offers an optical downlink service from €18 per minute at 1 Gbps.

"We have functioning products, paying customers and demand that is now expanding towards programmes involving thousands of terminals," Garzaniti said.

The signal: The laser communications market is proving tough. Mynaric, a German terminal maker, went through a restructuring that left shareholders with nothing, before Rocket Lab moved to acquire it in 2026. Golbriak is betting that affordable, easy-to-produce hardware is the path to scale.

Image credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video