Astrolight is developing a laser-based communications system
I’m led through a series of concrete corridors at Vilnius University, Lithuania; the murals give a Soviet-era vibe, and it seems an unlikely location for a high-tech lab working on a laser communication system.
But that’s where you’ll find the headquarters of Astrolight, a six-year-old Lithuanian space-tech start-up that has just raised €2.8m ($2.3m; £2.4m) to build what it calls an “optical data highway”.
You could think of the tech as invisible internet cables, designed to link up satellites with Earth.
The company hopes to be part of a shift from traditional radio frequency-based communication, to faster, more secure and higher-bandwidth laser technology.
Astrolight’s space laser technology could have defence applications as well, which is timely given Russia’s current aggressive attitude towards its neighbours.
Astrolight is already part of Nato’s Diana project (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), an incubator, set up in 2023 to apply civilian technology to defence challenges.
In Astrolight’s case, Nato is keen to leverage its fast, hack-proof laser communications to transmit crucial intelligence in defence operations – something the Lithuanian Navy is already doing.
It approached Astrolight three years ago looking for a laser that would allow ships to communicate during radio silence.
“So we said, ‘all right – we know how to do it for space. It looks like we can do it also for terrestrial applications’,” recalls Astrolight co-founder and CEO Laurynas Maciulis, who’s based in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius.
For the military his company’s tech is attractive, as the laser system is difficult to intercept or jam.
It’s also about “low detectability”, Mr Maciulis adds:
“If you turn on your radio transmitter in Ukraine, you’re immediately becoming a target, because it’s easy to track. So with this technology, because the information travels in a very narrow laser beam, it’s very difficult to detect.”
Astrolight
Astrolight’s system is difficult to detect or jam
Worth about £2.5bn, Lithuania’s defence budget is small when you compare it to larger countries like the UK, which spends around £54bn a year.
But if you look at defence spending as a percentage of GDP, then Lithuania is spending more than many bigger countries.
Around 3% of its GDP is spent on defence, and that’s set to rise to 5.5%. By comparison, UK defence spending is worth 2.5% of GDP.
Recognised for its strength in niche technologies like Astrolight’s lasers, 30% of Lithuania’s space projects have received EU funding, compared with the EU national average of 17%.
“Space technology is rapidly becoming an increasingly integrated element of Lithuania’s broader defence and resilience strategy,” says Invest Lithuania’s Šarūnas Genys, who is the body’s head of manufacturing sector, and defence sector expert.
Space tech can often have civilian and military uses.
Mr Genys gives the example of Lithuanian life sciences firm Delta Biosciences, which is preparing a mission to the International Space Station to test radiation-resistant medical compounds.
“While developed for spaceflight, these innovations could also support special operations forces operating in high-radiation environments,” he says.
He adds that Vilnius-based Kongsberg NanoAvionics has secured a major contract to manufacture hundreds of satellites.
“While primarily commercial, such infrastructure has inherent dual-use potential supporting encrypted communications and real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance across NATO’s eastern flank,” says Mr Genys.
BlackSwan Space
Lithuania should invest in its domestic space tech says Tomas Malinauskas
Going hand in hand with Astrolight’s laser technology is the autonomous satellite navigation system fellow Lithuanian space-tech start-up Blackswan Space has developed.
Blackswan Space’s “vision based navigation system” allows satellites to be programmed and repositioned independently of a human based at a ground control centre who, its founders say, won’t be able to keep up with the sheer volume of satellites launching in the coming years.
In a defence environment, the same technology can be used to remotely destroy an enemy satellite, as well as to train soldiers by creating battle simulations.
But the sales pitch to the Lithuanian military hasn’t necessarily been straightforward, acknowledges Tomas Malinauskas, Blackswan Space’s chief commercial officer.
He’s also concerned that government funding for the sector isn’t matching the level of innovation coming out of it.
He points out that instead of spending $300m on a US-made drone, the government could invest in a constellation of small satellites.
“Build your own capability for communication and intelligence gathering of enemy countries, rather than a drone that is going to be shot down in the first two hours of a conflict,” argues Mr Malinauskas, also based in Vilnius.
“It would be a big boost for our small space community, but as well, it would be a long-term, sustainable value-add for the future of the Lithuanian military.”
Space Hub LT
Eglė Elena Šataitė leads a government agency supporting space tech
Eglė Elena Šataitė is the head of Space Hub LT, a Vilnius-based agency supporting space companies as part of Lithuania’s government-funded Innovation Agency.
“Our government is, of course, aware of the reality of where we live, and that we have to invest more in security and defence – and we have to admit that space technologies are the ones that are enabling defence technologies,” says Ms Šataitė.
The country’s Minister for Economy and Innovation, Lukas Savickas, says he understands Mr Malinauskas’ concern and is looking at government spending on developing space tech.
“Space technology is one of the highest added-value creating sectors, as it is known for its horizontality; many space-based solutions go in line with biotech, AI, new materials, optics, ICT and other fields of innovation,” says Mr Savickas.
Whatever happens with government funding, the Lithuanian appetite for innovation remains strong.
“We always have to prove to others that we belong on the global stage,” says Dominykas Milasius, co-founder of Delta Biosciences.
“And everything we do is also geopolitical… we have to build up critical value offerings, sciences and other critical technologies, to make our allies understand that it’s probably good to protect Lithuania.”
In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, Chinese startup DeepSeek is emerging as a formidable player, prioritizing cutting-edge research over immediate commercial gains. Founded in 2023, the company has quickly gained attention for its innovative approaches to large language models, challenging the dominance of Silicon Valley giants. Unlike many U.S.-based firms that chase profitability through aggressive monetization, DeepSeek’s strategy emphasizes foundational advancements in AI architecture, drawing praise from industry observers for its long-term vision.
This focus on research has allowed DeepSeek to develop models that excel in efficiency and performance, particularly in training and inference processes. For instance, their proprietary techniques in sparse activation and optimized
Quebec artificial intelligence institute Mila has a new scientific director.
Hugo Larochelle started in the job today. He is the former head of Google’s AI research lab in Montreal and an adjunct professor at the Université de Montréal.
Mila framed Larochelle as ideal for the job because he has made significant contributions to the advancement of AI, while remaining committed to rigorous, open and socially beneficial science.
Larochelle says he will steer Mila to contribute to major scientific breakthroughs while ensuring its work contributes positively to society.
He takes over from Laurent Charlin, who had been in the job since Mila founder and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio transitioned to the scientific adviser role in March.
Larochelle trained under Bengio at the Université de Montréal and later was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto under AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025.
Across the country, public agencies face a common challenge: how to deliver vital services equitably in the face of limited resources, rising expectations, and increasingly diverse populations.
Traditional government service models — centralized, bureaucratic, and often paper-based — struggle to keep pace with the needs of rural residents, multilingual communities and military families, whose mobility and time constraints demand flexibility.
But a new generation of civic infrastructure is beginning to take shape, one that blends artificial intelligence with physical access points in the communities that need them most. Intelligent self-service kiosks are emerging as a practical tool for expanding access to justice and other essential services, without adding administrative burden or requiring residents to navigate unfamiliar digital portals at home.
El Paso County, Texas, offers one compelling case study. In June 2024, the County launched a network of AI-enabled kiosks that allow residents to complete court-related tasks, from submitting forms and payments to accessing legal guidance, in both English and Spanish. The kiosks are placed in strategic community locations, including the Tigua Indian Reservation and Fort Bliss, enabling access where it’s needed most.
Three lessons from this rollout may prove instructive for government leaders elsewhere:
1. Meet People Where They Are…Literally
Too often, civic access depends on residents coming to centralized locations during limited hours. For working families, rural residents and military personnel, that model simply doesn’t work.
Placing kiosks in trusted, high-traffic locations like base welcome centers or community annexes removes that barrier and affirms a simple principle: access shouldn’t be an ordeal.
At Fort Bliss, for example, the kiosk allows service members to fulfill court-related obligations without taking leave or leaving the base at all. In just one month, nearly 500 military residents used the kiosk. Meanwhile, over 670 transactions have been completed on the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (also known as the Tigua Indian Reservation), where access to public transportation is a challenge.
2. Design for Inclusion, Not Just Efficiency
While technology can streamline service delivery, it can also unintentionally exclude those with limited digital literacy or English proficiency. Multilingual A.I. interfaces and accessible user flows are both technical features and equity enablers.
In El Paso County, 20% of kiosk interactions have occurred in Spanish. This uptake highlights the importance of designing systems that reflect the communities they serve, rather than assuming one-size-fits-all access.
3. Think Beyond Digitization and Aim for Democratization
Many digital transformation efforts focus on moving services online, but that shift often leaves behind those without broadband, personal devices, or comfort with navigating complex websites. By embedding smart kiosks in the public realm, governments can provide digital tools without requiring digital privilege.
Moreover, these tools can reduce workload for front-line staff by automating routine transactions, freeing up human workers to focus on complex or high-touch cases. In that way, technology doesn’t replace the human element, it protects and supports it.
The El Paso County model is not the first of its kind, but its thoughtful implementation across geographically and demographically diverse communities offers a replicable roadmap. Other jurisdictions from Miami to Ottawa County, Michigan are piloting similar solutions tailored to local needs.
Ultimately, the path forward isn’t about flashy tech or buzzwords. It’s about pragmatism. It’s about recognizing that trust in government is built not through rhetoric but through responsiveness, and that sometimes, responsiveness looks like a kiosk in a community center that speaks your language and knows what you need.
For public officials considering a similar approach, the advice is simple: start with the barriers your residents face, then work backward. Let inclusion, not efficiency, guide your design. And remember that innovation in public service doesn’t always mean moving faster. Sometimes, it means stopping to ask who’s still being left behind.
