Spacetech provider Kepler Communications raises $92m in Series C

• The Series C  brings Kepler’s total equity funding since 2016 to $200 million
• The round’s proceeds will help the company launch an optical data relay infrastructure in 2024
• Kepler plans to launch two Pathfinder satellites in Fall 2023

Kepler Communications, a Toronto-based satellite telecommunications company focused on building the internet for space, has raised $92 million in Series C financing.

The Series C brings Kepler’s total equity funding since 2016 to $200 million.

IA Ventures led the round, with participation from Costanoa Ventures, Canaan Partners, Tribe Capital, BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund and others.

The round’s proceeds will help Kepler launch an optical data relay infrastructure in 2024, complementing its existing RF network. The company’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.

“Exponentially decreasing launch costs make space more accessible than ever, but connectivity beyond Earth is still costly, challenging, and inconsistent,” said Brad Gillespie, general partner at IA Ventures, in a statement. “The Kepler Network solves this by providing a fast, open, developer-friendly network enabling ‘it-just-works’ connectivity between any asset in space and back to Earth—and someday to Mars and beyond! With proven customer demand for their high-speed optical network, we are excited to lead this funding round to enable Kepler to continue its rapid growth and achieve profitability.”

Kepler 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.