Kepler Communications announced the successful launch of the first tranche of its optical relay satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The satellites will now begin commissioning as Kepler transitions its optical data relay network into operational service.
The tranche consists of 10 satellites, each approximately 300 kilograms, equipped with high-capacity SDA-compatible optical terminals and multi-GPU on-orbit compute modules with terabytes of storage that enable low-latency data transfer, secure routing, and edge processing directly in space. Once operational, the network will provide real-time connectivity, advanced computing, and hosted payload capabilities, creating a cloud environment on orbit for critical commercial and sovereign space missions.
"This launch brings a new paradigm to space applications. Our optical relay satellites make it possible for users to rapidly deploy their missions with a real-time, connected, cloud environment, fundamentally changing how data flows on orbit and what space systems can achieve for people and planet."
