Endeavor Optical Networks has emerged from stealth with $10.75 million in seed funding to develop a satellite network that would transfer data between continents using lasers. The startup plans to offer hyperscalers and AI companies an alternative to undersea fibre-optic cables, which carry most international internet traffic but can be difficult to install and repair.
General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz co-led the funding round, with support from Main Object, XYZ Venture Capital and Upfront Ventures. Co-founder and chief executive Charlie Horowitz announced the financing in an official launch post.
Satellite Network Targets Intercontinental Data Routes
Most satellite broadband systems cannot match the capacity of modern undersea fibre links, which can transfer more than 200 terabits per second. Endeavor Optical Networks, also known as EON, is initially targeting 2.4 terabits per second for each dedicated connection between two continents.
The company plans to deploy about 20 laser-equipped satellites. Its first fleet is intended to provide continuous coverage for early customers through carefully selected ground stations near data centres and content delivery networks.
EON will use multiple ground locations and weather information to maintain connections when clouds or atmospheric conditions block a laser path. Atmospheric distortion remains one of the main technical challenges facing space-to-ground optical communications.
NASA and private companies including York Space Systems, Kepler Communications and Cailabs have previously demonstrated laser links between spacecraft and Earth. Those systems generally targeted speeds closer to 2.5 gigabits per second, considerably below EON’s planned commercial capacity.
First Demonstration Satellite Planned for 2027
The startup will use its seed funding to establish an optics laboratory, recruit engineers and conduct ground-based testing. It aims to launch a demonstration satellite near the end of 2027, according to TechCrunch.
Horowitz expects the demonstration spacecraft to deliver an optical downlink of at least 800 gigabits per second, with a possible target of one terabit per second. EON intends to design its own optical communications terminal while purchasing satellite buses from established manufacturers.
Potential customers include cloud providers and frontier AI laboratories that transfer large datasets between international facilities. EON plans to focus initially on expensive or underserved routes, including connections between France and Australia or between Africa and South America.
Customers would be able to purchase dedicated capacity rather than share a general consumer broadband network. The company says this structure would give data-centre operators greater control over how their information moves between regions.
Smaller Fleet Faces Significant Technical Challenges
Blue Origin is pursuing a related project called TeraWave, which is designed to use thousands of satellites and provide speeds of up to six terabits per second. EON’s planned constellation is much smaller, which could reduce deployment time but limit coverage and redundancy.
Quilty Space research director Caleb Henry said satellite networks are only beginning to become dependable, high-capacity infrastructure. He added that meeting the reliability and redundancy requirements of data centres could take longer than some companies expect.
Horowitz previously worked at satellite manufacturer Apex Space, while co-founder and chief technology officer Tyler Presser is an astronautical engineer who has planned missions for NASA. The team also includes former Google network infrastructure executive Michael David Francois and former Amazon satellite optics engineer Wesley Baxter.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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