Cailabs is a French company specializing in shaping laser light for various applications, including space. They are a manufacturer of optical components and optical ground stations that enable high-speed, secure data transfer between satellites and ground stations. Cailabs' laser technology is used for secure satellite links and has been tested and implemented in collaboration with organizations like the French Defence Innovation Agency, the European Space Agency, and international partners in South Korea, Australia, Greece, and the United States.
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The SmallSat Europe panel includes Cailabs CEO Jean-François Morizur, SES Space & Defense’s Philippe Glaesener, and Thierry Draus.
Cailabs is developing optical ground stations capable of data rates above 100 gigabits per second.
In September 2025, SES signed on to test Cailabs’ TILBA-OGS L10 before integrating optical links into commercial satellite services.
Cailabs’ TILBA-OGS L10 optical ground station delivers bidirectional data rates above 10 gigabits per second between low Earth orbit satellites and the ground.
Jean-François Morizur co-founded Cailabs in 2013.
In September 2025, Cailabs secured €57 million in funding led by the European Investment Bank.
Cailabs is extending optical ground station support from low Earth orbit to medium Earth orbit and geostationary orbit.
Cailabs employs more than 175 people, including over 120 engineers and 40 PhDs, from offices in Rennes, France, and the United States.
The September 2025 Cailabs funding round included participation from Bpifrance’s Definvest and Fonds Innovation Defense, NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council, and Starquest Capital.
The September 2025 funding is supporting Cailabs’ production scale-up toward a target of 50 optical ground stations per year by 2027.
Cailabs partnered with DataPath, a Gilat subsidiary, to build transportable optical terminals for military users.
On April 3, 2026, South Korea’s CONTEC deployed its second Cailabs-equipped optical ground station at the Asian Space Park.
Defense and government programs represent the largest share of demand for Cailabs’ optical ground stations.
Cailabs is backed by 91 million euros in funding.
Cailabs expects to deploy up to 50 optical ground stations annually by 2027.
Cailabs has partnered with SES to test its TILBA-OGS L10 stations at 10 Gbps bidirectional throughput.
Cailabs hardware underpins USEI’s DiamondLink commercial service.
SES partnered with Cailabs to test space-to-ground optical links.
Cailabs raised €57 million (approximately $67 million) in funding in September 2025.
Cailabs plans to quintuple production capacity from around 10 contracted optical ground stations to 50 units annually by 2027.