SpaceX's Twilight rideshare will deploy the first tranche of Kepler Communications' next‑generation optical satellite constellation, a low‑Earth‑orbit network of laser-linked nodes. If launched, the deployment would be a potential world‑first optical comms network in LEO, preceding rival Amazon and Starlink plans.
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Briefing
Kepler's deployment would operationalize optical space links after the company recently demonstrated laser links across space-to-space, space-to-ground and space-to-air, advancing higher‑bandwidth, lower‑latency services for orbital and airborne users.
The mission rides on SpaceX's new Twilight rideshare profile, leveraging Falcon 9's frequent, low‑cost LEO access and fits within SpaceX's early‑2026 launch cadence, as the company prepares multiple Starlink and Twilight flights this week and has previously booked diverse smallsat manifests on Twilight-class missions.
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Via Satellite
• Rachel Jewett