Overview
- ESA’s €18.6 million award to Kepler on Tuesday tasks the company with HydRON Element 3, a hosted‑payload mission to prove cross‑vendor optical terminals can work together.
- The flight will carry laser‑link hardware from TESAT, Mbryonics and Astrolight, plus a Vyoma sensor to spot and track satellites and debris for safer operations.
- Kepler will provide its standard satellite platform with real‑time optical inter‑satellite links, integrate the payloads, prepare the launch, and run in‑orbit operations.
- HydRON aims to build a multi‑orbit optical backbone with terabit‑per‑second capacity that ties space links into ground fiber for faster, more secure data delivery.
- Canada’s cooperation with ESA enabled Kepler’s eligibility for the contract, with on‑orbit tests expected to build heritage for demonstrations around 2028 and potential follow‑on services.