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View photos A sister satellite called CASE is set to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle later this month. More

Canadian satellite company Kepler Communications Inc. is proving there’s room for the little guy in space.

The Toronto-based startup rocketed past major milestones this fall, securing approval for U.S. market access from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and landing US$16 million in a Series A round of financing led by Costanoa Ventures. The company is also counting down to the launch of its second satellite near the end of the month. (The exact date is a closely guarded secret.)

“For the cost of building a software company, we’ve built a space company,” Kepler’s 29-year-old chief executive Mina Mitry told Yahoo Finance Canada in an interview.

Thinking big while being small has been a theme throughout the fast-growing firm’s brief three-year history. Right now, Kepler has just one nanosatellite in orbit. It’s about the size of a loaf of bread. It’s the first member of a constellation that could grow to 140-strong.

CELLULAR TOWERS IN SPACE

Kepler is basically a phone carrier in space. Its low-Earth orbit satellite acts like a cellular tower, beaming around data from oil tankers, rail cars, icebreakers, and shipping containers located anywhere on the globe on a single network.

The satellite’s orbit is about 600 kilometres above Earth, well below the 35,000-kilometre range of traditional satellites. Less distance means more speed for customers moving large amounts of CCTV data or weather information, for example. According to Mitry, Kepler’s network is up to 10 times faster than traditional satellites.

Kepler’s maiden satellite, named KIPP, was launched into low-Earth orbit last January from a Chinese Long March 11 rocket. KIPP may be alone for now, but it’s covering a lot of ground.

“Our satellite is moving at 7.4 kilometres per second, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes. We’ll see every location around the world in a given day,” Mirty said.

“That’s with one satellite. With more satellites the frequency by which we visit locations around the world is improved. As we build towards our 140 satellite constellation, it gets to the point of connecting in real time.”

Kepler has raised close to $30 million to date from venture capital and banks, Mirty said. The bulk of that money is earmarked for producing and launching more bread-sized satellites to grow the network.

Meanwhile, KIPP is generating revenue on its own, serving customers on icebreakers, to tourism companies and scientific organizations.

“That’s really helped to bolster our fundraising efforts,” Mirty said. “Traditionally, the satellite communication industry tends to be one where they have to build the entire network before they can recognize a dollar of revenue from customers.”

A sister satellite called CASE is set to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle later this month.

On launch day, Mirty and his staff will watch with a mix of anxiety and pride from the company’s downtown Toronto office as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle carries CASE into orbit.

“It’s incredibly gratifying,” he said of the launch day experience. “The atmosphere is obviously tense. We have our dedicated operations team that focuses strictly on the satellite as soon as it emerges out of the rocket. They’re almost separated from the rest of the team just to keep them focused on the tasks at hand. Everyone else is just strapped in and watching, hoping for the best.”

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