Kepler Raises $92 Million USD Series C

London, 14 April 2023.- Kepler Communications, a Canadian satellite telecommunications provider, announced on the 13th of April that it has raised $92 million USD in Series C funding led by IA Ventures. Since 2016, the company has raised more than $200 million in equity, supported by Costanoa Ventures, Canaan Partners, Tribe Capital, BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund, and other leading investors.

Kepler plans to launch an optical data relay infrastructure in 2024 with this funding, to complement its existing radio frequency (RF) network. The optical communications infrastructure will use two near-orthogonal planes of relay satellites in sun-synchronous orbits, with satellites in each plane continuously connected using SDA-compatible optical inter-satellite links. Optical services will be operational and available to customers by Q1 2025. 

The Kepler Network will streamline on-orbit communications with a network infrastructure designed to act as Internet exchange points (IXP) for space-to-space data relay. The Internet-ready constellation will deliver data to and from spacecraft in real time. 

“Since our foundation, Kepler has been dedicated to enabling the future of space communications; working tirelessly to create the infrastructure needed for real-time, always-available access to space assets,” says Mina Mitry, chief executive officer for Kepler. “As we build out The Kepler Network, we are solving challenges the industry faces and simplifying mission communications by bringing modern Internet capabilities into space.” 

Kepler plans to launch two Pathfinder satellites in Autumn 2023, testing and validating optical communication technology developed for the Kepler constellation.

Kepler is offering customers a service-level agreement (SLA), and a turnkey solution to satisfy the complete communications requirements of a mission. The agreement includes communications payloads for both optical and RF, spectrum licences, security, ground infrastructure, and edge computing.