Toronto-based Kepler Communications successfully deployed its first wave of orbital data centre satellites on Sunday morning, becoming the first company in the world to launch a low-earth orbit satellite system based on an optical relay network.
Mina Mitry,
The launch âbrings a new paradigm to space applications.”
Kepler Communications
With the successful deployment, the Canadian company beat out similar projects from big names like Amazon and Starlink.
Dubbed the âTwilight Mission,â A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on early Sunday morning to release a payload of 10 Toronto-built 300-kilogram-class satellites, marking the beginning of Keplerâs next-generation satellite constellation.
SpaceX livestreamed the entire launch on the social media platform X, and the mission can be watched on demand here. The recorded livestream shows the rocket launch to space, release the payload of satellites, and land back on Earth within 10 minutes. The recorded livestream also shows the payload releasing the missionâs numerous public and private satellites over three hours, including Keplerâs, starting around mission time T+02:20:00.
Watch Falcon 9 launch the Twilight rideshare mission to orbit https://t.co/3x7pAoxkYU
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 7, 2026
Kepler says each satellite in the network is equipped with a minimum of four optical terminals, enabling laser links between space, air, and ground assets. The relay network enables data to be processed and analyzed directly in space rather than waiting for a downlink to Earth, essentially turning the satellite into an orbital data centre. The launch âbrings a new paradigm to space applications,â Kepler CEO and co-founder Mina Mitry said in a statement.
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âOur optical relay satellites make it possible for users to rapidly deploy their missions with a real-time, connected, cloud environment, fundamentally changing how data flows on orbit and what space systems can achieve for people and the planet,â Mitry said.
Kepler backer John Ruffolo attended Sundayâs launch alongside former Rogers CEO Joe Natale and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who joined Kepler as an advisor in October. Following the launch, Hadfield wrote in a post on X that it was âsurreal and exciting to see 10 new super-capable Canadian laser communications satellites safely in orbit.â He credited his lucky, Kepler-branded socks for the launchâs success.
Kepler says that future satellite tranches will expand its network capacity and introduce new capabilities.
Feature image courtesy SpaceX via X.