Kepler demonstrates optical data relay service in LEO
TAMPA, Fla. — Kepler Communications has successfully tested optical inter-satellite links between a pair of data relay prototypes in low Earth orbit (LEO), the Canadian operator announced June 11.
Mina Mitry, Kepler’s CEO, said the company moved terabytes of data across two pathfinders over testing scenarios ranging from seconds to hours to mimic expected customer behavior.
The prototypes are equipped with the capability to individually adjust orbit to demonstrate the link dynamics that a customer satellite may experience, Mitry added. They are also roughly the same size as operational spacecraft in the company’s proposed relay constellation, called The Kepler Network, with a mass of a few hundred kilograms each.
The inter-satellite links adhered to optical communications standards developed by the U.S. Space Development Agency, according to Kepler, and used SDA-compatible optical user terminals.
Mitry said SDA compatibility will be important for supporting a broad range of potential customers. Kepler has also been expanding its presence in the United States amid talks to sell its proposed relay services to government agencies.
