By 2030, it’s expected that some 13,000 satellites will be in orbit. CEO and co-founder of Odysseus Space, Dr Jordan Vannitsen argues there’s much potential for the company to help “remove the data bottleneck of satellites”.
Founded in Luxembourg in 2019, Odysseus Space has been focusing on its Cyclops solution, which aims to “enable seamless laser communication between all human assets in space and Earth.”
Vannitsen says that satellites aren’t currently capable of downloading to the ground all the data generated, but that by using such laser solutions, the download rate could be improved from around 1 to 10 GB/second.
The team has recently been attending more space defence-related conferences, whether with the EU or NATO.
“There’s a lot of effort recently in Europe done towards space defence, and laser communication involves a very narrow beam; it’s very hard to listen to if you aren’t the receiver, and it’s hard to jam,” Vannitsen explains.
Dr Jordan Vannitsen, CEO and co-founder of Odysseus Space.
So while their primary customers have been commercial satellite constellation operators, Odysseus Space is also looking into the defence market, given the “urgent need for secure communication”.
Deploying a first ground station
Of the 13,000 satellites that should be in orbit by 2030, Vannitsen says one-third of them will need Cyclops. Odysseus Space plans on focusing on the customers who already have satellites in space, a niche area which differentiates them from other companies which tend to focus more on inter-satellite data, not space to Earth.
Odysseus Space is currently in a €3m fundraising round which they will close in Q2. They’re aiming to deploy their first optical ground station in the next 12 months, the location of which is still to be defined, although Vannitsen says it will not be in Luxembourg. The system requires there be decent weather, ideally less clouds, and so the team is reviewing historical weather data in different parts of Europe. Meanwhile, they also hope to launch their space terminal in the second half of 2025.
The team will also be moving out of its Technoport premises and, if fundraising goes as planned, they’re hoping to grow the team from 15 to 25 people.
