ERMIS-3, an 8U CubeSat developed by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, has established an optical link with a ground station, the European Space Agency reports. ESA says the demonstration, which took place only weeks after the satellite's commissioning, marks Greece's first optical link with a low Earth orbit satellite.

The link used optical terminals from the Lithuanian company Astrolight and connected with the Holomondas Optical Ground Station, HolOGS-1, developed by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. ESA says the test met one of the mission's main objectives: precise pointing, acquisition and tracking. Optical links carry data on narrow laser beams, which allow high data rates, but the beam must be aimed carefully at a moving satellite while atmospheric clouds and turbulence can disrupt the signal.

ERMIS-3 launched on 30 March 2026 with ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2 as part of an in-orbit demonstration programme for small-satellite communications technologies. The mission falls under Greece's National Space Programme, implemented by ESA on behalf of the Greek government. ESA says it provided technical expertise, including environmental testing and optical alignment at its ESTEC centre in the Netherlands.