Tank Talks with Matt Cohen

Inside Canada’s Most Ambitious Space Infrastructure Company with Mina Mitry of Kepler Communications

In this episode, Matt Cohen sits down with Mina Mitri, CEO and co‑founder of Kepler Communications, to discuss the company’s evolution from a university‑born startup with $75,000 in prize money to the operator of the world’s first operational optical data‑relay network. Kepler’s recent launch of ten 300‑kg laser‑linked satellites creates the largest on‑orbit compute cluster, enabling real‑time thermal imaging, low‑latency data transfer, and on‑orbit AI for defense, Earth observation, and sovereign communications. Mitri explains how the firm’s full‑stack approach—building both hardware and software in‑house—keeps manufacturing lean while delivering laser‑link services and satellite‑as‑a‑service to customers in remote regions like the Arctic. The conversation also touches on funding, talent acquisition, and the broader mission of extending internet connectivity beyond Earth.