Robert Conrad, vice president of U.S. business development at Kepler Communications, told Breaking Defense in an interview published Monday that optical communications capabilities could help warfighters speed up the decision-making process to ensure national security by gaining access to remote sensing satellite data in near-real time.

Conrad will serve as a moderator of a panel discussion on optical space data relays and human spaceflight communications at the Potomac Officers Club's 2024 Space Summit. Register here to attend this key event.

More

Kepler Communications has raised $92 million in Series C funding for an Internet-ready optical data relay infrastructure it plans to launch in space in 2024. The latest financing round, which was led by IA Ventures, brings Kepler’s capital to more than $200 million for a project that will complement its radio frequency network in space, […] More

A team of Kymeta and Kepler Communications took part in a recent military technology integration event to demonstrate how a flat-panel antenna technology could support connectivity between geostationary and low-Earth orbit satellites.  Kymeta said Friday it aimed to present the u8 terminal‘s ability to interoperate with Kepler’s LEO constellation and a GEO satellite ground station […] More

Woodbridge, Va.-based consulting firm Kepler Research has won a potential five-year, $73.1M contract to advise and assist the Missile Defense Agency regarding compliance, contracting, price and cost and operational matters.

More

NASA‘s Ames Research Center has given the Group Achievement Award to Ball Aerospace in recognition of the company’s solar pressure approach that helped the Kepler Space Telescope continue operating. The company said Wednesday it developed an approach that directed Kepler observatory spacecraft to use solar pressure and thrusters for control as alternatives to one of […] More

NASA has discovered the first exoplanet with a repurposed version of the Ball Aerospace-developed Kepler spacecraft. Lead researcher Andrew Vanderburg studied data collected by Kepler in February during a K2 mission test in which the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo’s HARPS-North spectrograph took measurements that confirmed the new find, Ball Aerospace said Thursday. “Kepler may well deliver the first […] More

Colonel Richard Kniseley boasts more than two decades of experience in the federal space sector. In his current role as the Senior Materiel Leader of the Commercial Space Office at the Space Systems Command in Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, his responsibilities focus on investing in commercial capabilities.   Col. Kniseley’s demonstrated history and […] More

U.S. government officials in the space arena are laser-focused on establishing and maintaining high-bandwidth, low-latency communications between satellite systems. These lines of communication are sent between ground stations and satellites in low-Earth orbit at about 1,000 km distance from the Earth and even as far as geostationary orbit, at about 35,700 km distance from the […] More

Leading U.S. space experts at ExecutiveBiz's Space Technologies Forum on Tuesday discussed whether the recent National Reconnaissance Office request for information with a 90-minute to 500-millisecond parameter on allowance for latency in satellite communications was acceptable or too lenient.If technology-centric dialogues such as these appeal to you and especially if you’re part of the GovCon industry, register today for ExecutiveBiz’s upcoming Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum, scheduled for Sept. 12 at Falls Church, Virginia’s 2941 Restaurant. Register here. More

Leading U.S. space experts at ExecutiveBiz's Space Technologies Forum on Tuesday discussed whether the recent National Reconnaissance Office request for information with a 90-minute to 500-millisecond parameter on allowance for latency in satellite communications was acceptable or too lenient.If technology-centric dialogues such as these appeal to you and especially if you’re part of the GovCon industry, register today for ExecutiveBiz’s upcoming Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum, scheduled for Sept. 12 at Falls Church, Virginia’s 2941 Restaurant. Register here. More

Deloitte and Dcode have announced the conclusion of a seven-week program to help six space industry startups market their technology platforms to U.S. government agencies. More than 100 government and industry leaders took part in the Space 2.0 Accelerator program in Washington, D.C., to help connect the U.S. Air Force, NASA and other agencies to […] More

NASA has released a draft funding opportunity that seeks new planetary studies to support the space agency’s Discovery Program. The agency said Wednesday it plans to allocate $500M for up to five projects in fiscal year 2019. The Discovery Program offers flight opportunities to science investigations that could help expand the agency’s understanding of planetary […] More