{"id":2209,"date":"2021-08-05T10:41:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T10:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca\/ip-education\/?post_type=spotlight&p=2209"},"modified":"2021-09-03T19:14:17","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T19:14:17","slug":"this-is-the-place-to-expand-the-internet-into-space","status":"publish","type":"spotlight","link":"https:\/\/entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca\/ip-education\/spotlight\/this-is-the-place-to-expand-the-internet-into-space\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the place to expand the internet into space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n spotlight<\/a> <\/div>\n \n\n

This is the place to expand the internet into space<\/h1>\n\n
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U of T startup Kepler Communications\u2019 tiny internet satellites are helping scientists share field data.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The more field data that scientists analyze from around the world, the better we\u2019ll be able to predict climate change, earthquakes and other natural phenomena. Getting that data often requires collecting it in remote regions of the earth, such as the Arctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, once collected, how do scientists move all that data back to their institutions, where they can analyze it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter Kepler Communications, a satellite company founded by a team of U of T aerospace engineers. Kepler has already launched two microsatellites and plans to put a third into low-earth orbit in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By offering satellite internet in polar regions, Kepler helps scientists study climate change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Kepler\u2019s satellites pass overhead, their specially designed broadband antennae can pick up masses of data from isolated equipment. Kepler\u2019s ground stations later download the data and make it available to scientists over the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The days of shipping hard drives are over. Kepler is the first and only high-bandwidth connectivity service available in polar regions, offering researchers, mariners and cruise passengers a means to send and receive information, large multimedia files, and other crucial information over satellite.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the 2019-2020 MOSAiC expedition relies on Kepler\u2019s technology. As the icebreaker Polarstern<\/em> drifts across the Arctic ocean, Kepler relays the data it collects to hundreds of scientists studying global warming in this sensitive and remote environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepler Communications\u2019 long-term plans for a space-based internet began at U of T<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Moving bulk data around the Earth is only the first phase of Kepler\u2019s growth. Space is increasingly a zone for commercial activity\u2014for example, from imagery satellites to asteroid mining operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepler\u2019s ultimate mission is to extend the internet into space to enable these companies to command and control their billion-dollar investments. Kepler’s satellites will be able to provide satellite-to-satellite-to-ground communication for the smallsat industry\u2014reducing the time small satellites have to wait to relay data or send commands from the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, Kepler will ramp up its IoT DevKit, which offers direct-to-satellite connections for internet-of-things devices, and continue building its vendor partnerships. It\u2019s all part of the long-term plan: to establish their space-based internet, Kepler aims to launch a constellation of 140 satellites, each zipping around the Earth in 90 minutes, by 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepler\u2019s impressive technology and out-of-this-world ambition attracted support from U of T\u2019s innovation and entrepreneurship network, including Start@UTIAS+Hatchery<\/a>. The help and guidance Kepler received was critical for developing the company\u2019s intellectual property and demonstrating the viability of their equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Kepler co-founder and VP of Business Development and Strategy Jeffrey Osborne says, \u201c@UTIAS gave us the early connections, mentorship, and finances we needed to get Kepler off the ground.\u201d Osborne credits U of T Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) alumnus Francis Shen for his philanthropy, which made Start@UTIAS<\/a>+Hatchery possible. \u201cFrancis Shen recognized a challenge that students and young entrepreneurs had great ideas and a ton of talent, but no mechanisms to bring their ideas to market. @UTIAS was instrumental in helping us launch Kepler.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more field data that scientists analyze from around the world, the better we\u2019ll be able to predict climate change, earthquakes and other natural phenomena. Getting that data often requires collecting it in remote regions of the earth, such as the Arctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, once collected, how do scientists move all that data back to their institutions, where they can analyze it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter Kepler Communications, a satellite company founded by a team of U of T aerospace engineers. Kepler has already launched two microsatellites and plans to put a third into low-earth orbit in late 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Kepler\u2019s satellites pass overhead, their specially designed broadband antennae can pick up masses of data from isolated equipment. Kepler\u2019s ground stations later download the data and make it available to scientists over the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The days of shipping hard drives are over. Kepler is the first and only high-bandwidth connectivity service available in polar regions, offering researchers, mariners and cruise passengers a means to send and receive information, large multimedia files, and other crucial information over satellite.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving bulk data around the Earth is only the first phase of Kepler\u2019s growth. Space is increasingly a zone for commercial activity\u2014for example, from imagery satellites to asteroid mining operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepler\u2019s ultimate mission is to extend the internet into space to enable these companies to command and control their billion-dollar investments, using the Kepler network as a pipeline to downlink large amounts of data back to earth, while also helping NASA keep in touch with the International Space Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To establish their space-based internet, Kepler aims to launch a constellation of 140 satellites, each zipping around the Earth in 90 minutes, by 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepler\u2019s impressive technology and out-of-this-world ambition attracted support from U of T\u2019s innovation ecosystem, including Start@UTIAS<\/a> and the Hatchery. The help and guidance Kepler received was critical for developing the company\u2019s intellectual property and demonstrating the viability of their equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Kepler co-founder and VP of Business Development and Strategy Jeffrey Osborne says, \u201cStart@UTIAS<\/a> gave us the early connections, mentorship, and finances we needed to get Kepler off the ground.\u201d Osborne credits U of T Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) alumnus Francis Shen for his philanthropy, which made Start@UTIAS<\/a> possible. \u201cFrancis Shen recognized a challenge that students and young entrepreneurs had great ideas and a ton of talent, but no mechanisms to bring their ideas to market. Start@UTIAS<\/a> was instrumental in helping us launch Kepler.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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August 5, 2021<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n\n
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