On March 31, 2021 Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages announced that Kepler Communications would receive a $3.8 million repayable contribution from FedDev Ontario.
The funding is earmarked for the ongoing development of Kepler’s downtown Toronto satellite manufacturing facility. Kepler was guided in part in the development of its manufacturing facility by small satellite pioneer Space Flight Lab, also of Toronto.
“FedDev Ontario’s support comes at a critical time in Kepler’s growth, where the company is scaling rapidly to produce our next generation of CubeSats. Kepler is creating a new generation of satellites, produced at a scale not previously seen in Canada or elsewhere. To achieve this, we have built out a new facility, developed new production processes, and are creating new high-value jobs in Toronto. The Kepler team doubled in 2020 and will double again in 2021. FedDev Ontario is instrumental in helping us to achieve these aggressive plans” said Mina Mitry, CEO and Co-Founder.
In announcing the funding, the government characterized Kepler’s facility as “the first Canadian company to mass-produce nanosatellites.”
“Since September 2020, Kepler has launched 12 GEN1 nanosatellites, all assembled at its downtown Toronto facility. With a total constellation of 15 nanosatellites, Kepler became the largest operator of nanosatellites based in Canada, with a launch on March 22, 2021, that deployed two GEN1 nanosatellites. Kepler expects to create 22 skilled jobs in Toronto.”
In total $14.6 million in funding was announced for six companies in the southern Ontario region. Kepler was the only funding related to the space sector.