The Kepler Network will streamline on-orbit communications with a network infrastructure designed to act as routers for Space-to-Space data relay. We are building modern Internet capabilities outside of earth in a flexible, hybrid network to support the exponential growth of the space economy.
Why A LEO Constellation?
Since LEO satellites are located closer to Earth (less than 2,000 km from the planet), latency is significantly reduced compared to geostationary satellites at 35,000 km from Earth.
LEO vs. GEO
The way LEO constellations work is simple. Our satellites are launched into space and placed into Low Earth Orbit at around 575 km from Earth.
Lower Latency
Since LEO satellites are located closer to Earth (less than 2,000 km from the planet), latency is significantly reduced compared to geostationary satellites at 35,000 km from Earth.
Better Signal Strength, Lower Power Consumption
Being closer to Earth results in better signal strength and this means less power is required for transmission compared to the big GEO satellites, which experience significant signal loss due to their distance from the planet.
Coverage
Our LEO satellites are placed into a polar orbit, meaning they orbit over the poles. A single satellite can see the entire planet, but a large number of satellites are needed to provide a continuous and real-time communications service.
Our Production Facility
Kepler is proud to have our production facility in the heart of downtown Toronto.
To drastically increase product quality, we took production into our own hands. Inspection and testing are done throughout our production process. We apply a test-like-you-fly philosophy, where satellites are tested in representative conditions. Our in-house developed manufacturing execution and ERP system allows us to run an efficient production adhering to just-in-time delivery. This allows us to build quickly and efficiently, while being extremely stringent in our quality assurance. The standardization of processes and documentation allows for the easy distillation of complicated processes. This reduces time to product delivery and allows for an agile production facility.
KIPP & CASE
2018
KIPP and CASE are the first two of our three technology demonstration satellites. Launched in January 2018, KIPP became the first Ku-band commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite ever launched.
Application
- Store-and-forward high-bandwidth data transfer
Specs
- 3U CubeSat
- 10x10x30 cm (stowed)
- Full Ku-band – 10.7 – 12.7 GHz downlink , – 14.0 – 14.5 GHz uplink
- Kepler designed satellite payload employs a fully reconfigurable Ku-band software-defined radio
TARS
2020
A 6U CubeSat designed to demonstrate both low-data-rate and high-data-rate telecommunication capabilities globally, TARS follows on the store-and-forward data backhaul demonstration program while also delivering lower data-rate connectivity to smaller direct-to-satellite IoT devices.
Application
- IoT/M2M connectivity
- Store-and-forward high-bandwidth data transfer
Specs
- 6U CubeSat
- 10x20x30cm (stowed)
- Full Ku-band – 10.7 – 12.7 GHz downlink , – 14.0 – 14.5 GHz uplink
- Kepler designed satellite payload employs a fully reconfigurable Ku-band software-defined radio
GEN1
2020 – 2022
GEN1 has seen the successful launch of sixteen of Kepler 6U XL satellites, KEP-4 through KEP-19.
Application
- Inter-satellite communications relay
- Store-and-forward high-bandwidth data transfer
- IoT/M2M connectivity (SNF or bentpipe)
Specs
- 6UXL CubeSat
- 10x22x36cm (stowed)
- Full Ku-band – 10.7 – 12.7 GHz downlink , – 14.0 – 14.5 GHz uplink
- Narrowband for EverywhereIoT applications
- Kepler designed satellite payload employs a fully reconfigurable Ku-band software-defined radio
- Precision attitude control and tracking
- 2x large articulating solar arrays
- Reliable and redundant avionics
- RF – Inter-satellite link terminal
GEN 2 & 3 Coming Soon
Keep an eye on our website to stay up to date with future launches.
First Ku-band Commercial LEO Satellites
Kepler launched and operates the first commercial Ku-band LEO satellite.
Ku-band (10.7 – 12.7 GHz for transmit and 14.0 – 14.5 GHz for receive) is substantially higher than traditional nanosatellite frequencies, which are often around 2 GHz for bi-directional communications. This offers increased available bandwidth to support larger data applications.
A sophisticated antenna array is necessary at these higher frequencies. An antenna array is made up of many smaller antenna elements that, when combined, create a high-gain and highly directed radiofrequency beam.
