• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • News
  • Featured
  • More News ⌄
    • SatNews
    • SatMagazine
    • MilSatMagazine
  • Events ⌄
    • MilSat Symposium
    • SmallSat Symposium
    • Satellite Innovation
  • Contacts
  • SUBSCRIPTION

SmallSat News

You are here: Home / Featured / Space Flight Laboratory’s Sept. 28th Kepler Smallsats Launch Via Soyuz Revealed

Space Flight Laboratory’s Sept. 28th Kepler Smallsats Launch Via Soyuz Revealed

October 12, 2020 by editorial

Artistic rendition of Space Flight Laboratory’s SPARTAN 6U cubesat.

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has announced the successful launch of the Kepler-4 and Kepler-5 cubesats — and the company played an instrumental role in the development of the production workflow at Kepler that will enable that firm to produce additional satellites to deliver the GEN1 constellation.

A Russian Soyuz rocket liftoff (file photo).

The two 6U-XL cubesats were launched September 28, 2020, aboard a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. Within hours of launch, both satellites were in communication with Kepler ground control and were functioning as planned.

Kepler-4 and -5 are the first service-focused cubesats in Kepler Communications’ constellation that will ultimately include 140 satellites. SFL developed Kepler-4 in concert with Kepler, which is based on SFL’s new SPARTAN 6U-XL CubeSat design, with mass production in mind.

As Kepler-4 was in production, SFL personnel provided training and technical support to Kepler in creating the manufacturing workflow capable of assembling and integrating the additional satellites at a 5,000-square-foot facility adjacent to Kepler headquarters in Toronto.

Executive Comments

Jared Bottoms

“Leveraging SFL’s experience we have a high degree of confidence in the performance of these satellites. This will pave the way towards our GEN1 constellation and future spacecraft in our network,” said Director of Space Systems, Jared Bottoms.

Dr. Robert Zee

“We designed our SPARTAN 6U-XL bus – along with two other new CubeSat platforms – to cost effectively meet the reliability, performance and capability demands of fully commercial operations,” said SFL’s CEO, Dr. Robert Zee.

Established in 1998, SFL has designed and built 52 distinct nano- and microsatellites with 24 under construction and nearing launch and another 28 launched (23 of which are still operational), totaling over 128 cumulative years of successful operation in orbit.
Many of these microspace missions have included SFL’s trusted attitude control and formation-flying technologies.

Filed Under: Featured, News

Primary Sidebar

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019

© 2019–2025 SatNews

x
Sign Up Now!

Enjoy a free weekly newsletter with recent headlines from the global SmallSat industry.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing! You will now receive weekly SmallSat News updates.
We love our advertisers.
And you will too!

Please disable Ad Blocker to continue... We promise to keep it unobtrusive.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.