Kepler Communications has secured an €18.6 million contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to build a demonstration satellite for HydRON Element 3, featuring optical communication terminals from Astrolight and other European partners. The award, announced at the Space Symposium on April 14, 2026, advances ESA’s ‘fiber in the sky’ network for terabit-per-second data relay across low and medium Earth orbits.
Kepler will provide its standard satellite platform, complete with optical intersatellite links, payload hosting, launch preparations, and in-orbit operations. The mission, set for a 2027 launch, will host hardware from Astrolight UAB (Lithuania), TESAT and Vyoma GmbH (Germany), and MBRYONICS Ltd (Ireland).
Astrolight supplies key optical terminal hardware, enabling interoperability tests among commercial systems. Vyoma contributes a space situational awareness payload for real-time orbital object tracking.
This element demonstrates multi-orbit secure data transport, boosting resilience for European communications infrastructure. It builds on Kepler’s prior role in HydRON Element 1, fostering industrial capabilities and international cooperation in quantum-secure laser networks.
The project supports space domain awareness by delivering actionable data in seconds, critical for monitoring satellites and debris amid rising orbital congestion.