Kepler announced today it had received a contract from the European Space Agency from their Satellite telemetry and control using space IoT networks for small satellites announcement of opportunity. The contract will use Kepler’s new Aether service.
The value of the contract is €500,000 and Kepler will deliver “hardware terminals capable of connecting other space assets to Kepler’s LEO communication network.”
According to Kepler its “ÆTHER service is designed to address a central challenge with low Earth operations; limited connectivity to those space-based mission assets from the ground.”
Wen Cheng Chong, Kepler’s CTO and Co-Founder, said “Reaction to ÆTHER since our announcement at Satellite2021 has been overwhelmingly positive. The contract with ESA to deliver the hardware and service is an important validation for the team at Kepler and highlights value of our central Mission to deliver internet-style connectivity to space. And equally important, this win adds strength to the solution as we continue conversations with other users in the space community.”
Kepler further stated that “Ahead of the fulfillment of the ESA contract, Kepler will be conducting on-orbit testing of the proposed hardware terminals in the first quarter of 2022, onboard two new satellites Kepler will be adding to their constellation. Details on the launch and test results will be announced at a future date.”