SatEnlight completes its first intra-city laser communication test

On 25 September 2025, SatEnlight announced the completion of its first intra-city laser transmission: a 354-metre point-to-point optical link through an urban environment.

No physical cable or fibre connected the two points. Information was transmitted directly through free space using light.

The test represented an important step in taking SatEnlight’s technology outside controlled laboratory conditions.

Real-world optical communication introduces challenges that cannot be fully reproduced indoors. Atmospheric turbulence, weather conditions, vibrations, pointing stability and alignment can all influence the quality and availability of an optical link.

Testing the system between two locations within a city therefore provided SatEnlight with an opportunity to study its behaviour under operational conditions and gather data for the following stages of development.

The September 2025 test was part of a broader experimental path aimed at progressively increasing distance and system complexity.

For SatEnlight, moving from laboratory experiments to outdoor communication links is essential to developing optical systems that can eventually support terrestrial, air-to-ground and satellite applications.

The 354-metre transmission was an early milestone, but also an indication of the direction of travel: moving optical communication technology from research into increasingly realistic environments.