Company Spotlight: NKT Photonics – Lighting the way to deep space

From its origins which can be traced back to a university spin-out to its role in pioneering deep space communications, NKT Photonics has built a well-established reputation in the laser technology landscape. Founded as Fianium, established by one of the founders of SPI Lasers (a University of Southampton spin-out company), the company has evolved through acquisition, first by Danish firm NKT Photonics and more recently by Japanese photonics leader Hamamatsu.

Today, its UK operation in Hamble, located on England’s South Coast, is focused on developing high-powered fibre lasers that are used in both terrestrial industries and emerging space applications.

At its core, NKT Photonics engineers high-performance fibre lasers where light is amplified as it bounces along coiled spools of fibre optic cable. These compact yet powerful systems are used in aerospace, life sciences, healthcare, defence and increasingly in space, where demand for precision optics is accelerating. With a growing portfolio of space-related projects and an ambition to expand its capabilities, the company is positioning itself as a key contributor to the future of space communications and quantum technologies.

NKT Photonics’ has long-standing experience with supplying technology for space qualified systems, through partnership and collaboration. It has been integral to several European Space Agency (ESA) missions including the Swarm constellation, which has been orbiting Earth since 2013 to monitor the planet’s magnetic field. Each of the three Swarm satellites is equipped with magnetometers powered by NKT Photonics’ lasers. The data gathered has offered unique, decade-long insights into the dynamics of Earth’s core and magnetosphere, underpinning new scientific understanding and modelling efforts.

More recently, the company has taken a significant leap into deep space communications. In July 2025, NKT Photonics played a central role in one of the most significant space achievements of the year: establishing Europe’s first deep space optical communication link. For the landmark project funded by ESA, the company built a high-powered laser to establish a communications link with NASA’s Psyche probe enroute to a metallic asteroid. The probe, travelling millions of kilometres from Earth—twice the distance to the Sun—required a laser link that could outperform traditional radio frequency systems.

Whereas current deep space communications using radio frequency (RF) links offer 1 to 100 kilobits per second (Kbps) data transfer speed, the optical data rates for Psyche are in the 1 to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) range. The result is more data with smaller, lighter hardware.

The successful first trial of this link was a key milestone, demonstrating NKT Photonics’ fibre lasers and their potential for future human missions to the Moon or Mars. As these crewed missions become more likely, reliable high-bandwidth communications for activities like streaming media, monitoring health systems, and supporting extraterrestrial agriculture will be crucial for these long-duration missions.

Beyond communications, the company is exploring how lasers can address other space challenges. Space debris mitigation is one such area. By shining a high-powered laser on debris, momentum can be imparted through radiation pressure, nudging it into safer orbits. Alternatively, pulsed lasers can ablate the surface of debris, ejecting material and altering its trajectory.

Laser ranging is another promising application. With space becoming increasingly congested, accurate positioning of satellites and debris is essential. NKT Photonics’ lasers can provide the precision to better track satellites and space junk, potentially enabling a space-based equivalent of air traffic control.

The company is also engaging with quantum technologies, particularly in sensing, imaging, and timing. Quantum gravimetry and magnetometry could revolutionise space-based measurements, while quantum imaging techniques may enable high-resolution infrared cameras using standard visual-spectrum sensors.

Perhaps the most visionary concept in NKT Photonics’ portfolio is its contribution to the idea of a solar system-wide internet. ESA is exploring how spacecraft could connect to local hubs equipped with high-powered lasers, which then relay high-speed data back to Earth. This decentralised model could make deep space communication more efficient and economically viable, replacing bespoke links with a scalable network architecture.

Despite its achievements, NKT Photonics acknowledges that it cannot go it alone. Building lasers for the space market requires partnerships, and the company is actively engaging with the Space South Central cluster to find collaborators.

Rob Whitehouse, Business Development Lead at NKT Photonics UK, said: “Partnering with Space South Central gives us a fantastic head start in building valuable relationships with companies who have a complimentary skill set to our own. With a clear vision, proven technology, and a collaborative spirit, we are well placed to become a major contributor to the UK’s rapidly growing space industry.”