Data mover/IoT services firm Kepler Communications announced it has successful demonstrated Kymeta antennas work with its Ku-band test satellites in orbit.  The Kymeta u7 flat-panel electronically steered antenna achieved download speeds of 15 Mbps and upload speeds of 5 Mbps in repeated trials.

Kepler currently has two nanosatellites in orbit providing global store-and-forward data movement of large amounts of information.  Several customers are paying for Kepler’s Global Data Service (GDS) to move bulk data in out of the polar regions.

Kepler has nearly doubled its headcount from 20 to 40 over the past 6 months, according to its June email newsletter, with “all hands on deck supporting various customer trials.”  The company expects to launch its third satellite by the end of the year and put up to another 15 satellites into orbit in 2020.  In three years, Kepler plans to offer in-space connectivity to provide real-time relay of data between satellites and ground stations.