Maverick Space Systems has secured launch capacity for 10 Kepler Communications satellites aboard Portal Space Systems’ Motus Via Sol mission, the companies said Monday. The satellites, part of Kepler’s 400-kilogram-class Tranche 2 line, are due to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in mid-2028.
Portal announced the Motus Via Sol mission and its exclusive partnership with Maverick on Aug. 20; Monday’s release adds Kepler as the mission’s first named rideshare customer. The booking comes as SpaceX has reportedly paused new bookings for its Transporter and Bandwagon rideshare programs beyond late 2028, as SpaceQ reported in August, tightening near-term rideshare availability for smallsat operators. Portal secured dedicated Falcon 9 capacity for its own spacecraft and brought in Maverick to fill the vehicle’s remaining volume. Kepler is pursuing dedicated capacity of its own, too: it booked its first dedicated mission, on Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket, on Aug. 10, for launch no earlier than 2028.
Maverick, based in San Luis Obispo, Calif., is Portal’s exclusive launch integration partner for the mission, handling payload accommodation and manifest optimization across the stack. Founded in 2019, the company says it has completed more than 30 launch campaigns, launching satellites from nearly every launch site in the world.
“Optimizing a dedicated vehicle’s full capacity with custom full-stack aggregation hardware, accommodating Portal’s spacecraft, and securing capacity for a partner like Kepler is a technically demanding job that we’re deeply proud to deliver on,” said Vidur Kaushish, chief operating officer at Maverick Space Systems.
The satellites will expand Kepler’s optical data relay network, with data rates up to 100 gigabits per second, on-orbit computing and hosted-payload capability. Kepler says the broader Tranche 2 line, due to begin deploying in 2028, will also serve government and commercial customers including the European Space Agency and NorthStar Earth & Space. Maverick is still marketing a “cake-topper” slot — a payload position atop the launch stack — on the same mission.
Portal will use Motus Via Sol to debut its Supernova spacecraft, powered by its proprietary FLARE solar thermal propulsion system. The platform is designed to manoeuvre beyond its initial drop-off orbit, letting Portal adjust final destinations to customer needs.