NanoAvionics is positioned for priority access to higher data rates as Kepler’s optical network scales.
Kepler plans for the Kepler Network to scale to 100 Gbps-class capacity with its next tranche of satellites.
Kepler is scaling its optical network toward 100 Gbps-class capacity with a next tranche of 10 optical relay satellites expected to launch in 2028.
By hosting SAFIRE Gen4 on Kepler’s next-generation satellite network, OroraTech enables near-real-time delivery of wildfire intelligence from space to Earth.
The SAFIRE Gen4 system processes thermal data on-orbit using edge computing aboard the Kepler satellites.
OroraTech claims to provide the first thermal livestream of Earth using Kepler's satellite network.
The satellites detect heat anomalies like wildfires immediately and transmit critical intelligence via Kepler's optical inter-satellite links for near-real-time delivery.
Kepler AETHER satellites began deploying at approximately T+ 02:21 with AETHER-8.
Kepler offers hosted payload slots aboard its 300-kg-class satellites for faster access to space.
Kepler's future satellites will be compatible with ESA’s ESTOL standard for optical links.
Kepler's Tranche 1 satellites will introduce on-orbit intelligence capable of running object detection and sending only insights to the ground in real time.
Any terminal adhering to SDA standards can connect to Kepler's optical network, allowing customers to source hardware from various vendors.
Tranche 1 of Kepler's optical data relay network is set to launch in January 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Kepler's Tranche 1 will consist of ten satellites and will be the world’s first operational optical network in low Earth orbit.
Kepler's edge-compute capability supports automated detection, data fusion, and space traffic management.
Kepler expects operational service for Tranche 1 to begin in the second half of 2026.
Kepler's network will reduce latency for Earth observation tasks from hours to seconds for mission operators.
In September 2025, Kepler partnered with the Space Development Agency and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems to establish the first-ever commercial bi-directional optical link between a satellite and a General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian aircraft in flight.
Kepler, based in Toronto, is the prime contractor for the ESA's HydRON mission, which focuses on internet in space.
Kepler is developing 100-gigabit optical technology for its next generation of satellites.