Kepler Communications, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based satellite telecommunications provider, raised $92M USD in Series C funding.
The round was led by IA Ventures.
Since 2016, the company has raised more than $200 million in equity, with support from Costanoa Ventures, Canaan Partners, Tribe Capital, BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund, and other leading investors.
The company intends to use the funds to launch an optical data relay infrastructure in 2024, complementing its existing RF network.
Led by Mina Mitry, chief executive officer, Kepler Communications is a satellite telecommunications provider on a mission to build the internet for space. Incorporated in 2015, the company provides real-time, continuous connectivity for space communications. Kepler’s 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, enabling high-speed data relay through SDA-standard optical terminals.
The company plans to launch two Pathfinder satellites in Fall 2023, testing and validating optical communication technology developed for the Kepler constellation. Its newest satellites build on the flight heritage of its existing constellation, totaling 21 satellites after the launch of two additional spacecraft in mid-April 2023.
FinSMEs
14/04/2023