EON plans to move data traffic from undersea cables to space lasers

Endeavor Optical Networks (EON), founded in May and emerging from stealth with $10.75 million in seed funding from General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz, plans to launch a network of about 20 laser-equipped satellites to link data centers from orbit. CEO Charlie Horowitz and CTO Tyler Presser aim to achieve throughput of 2.4 terabits per second, far above the 2.5 Gbps demonstrated by previous space-to-ground laser links. The company will select ground stations in different regions, using redundant sites and weather data to ensure reliable links. They are talking to hyperscalers and AI labs as customers, focusing on routes like France to Australia or Africa to South America. EON will use the seed round for an optics lab, engineering hires, and ground tests, with a demo satellite expected around end of 2027, aiming for at least 800 Gbps and perhaps a terabit. The company will buy satellite buses from Apex Space, where Horowitz previously worked. Competitor Blue Origin has announced TeraWave, a larger satellite network, but EON's smaller fleet may be quicker to deploy. Analysts note challenges in meeting data center standards for quality and redundancy, but Horowitz says they avoid physics problems and aim to serve existing demand.