KSAT prepares Hyperion in orbit relay test for satellite data

by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Hyperion will move KSATs HYPER concept from design into on orbit demonstration, using relay satellites to act as ground stations in space and shorten the time it takes operators to receive satellite data when speed is critical.

Announced at the SmallSat Symposium in Silicon Valley, the Hyperion mission will extend KSATs global ground network into low Earth orbit and test how an in orbit relay layer can cut latency and increase contact opportunities for customer spacecraft.

HYPER is KSATs answer to growing demand for faster and more resilient satellite data access, adding a space based relay segment that complements the companys existing network of several hundred antennas at more than 40 sites worldwide.

Customers already flying with KSATlite will be able to interface with HYPER through familiar systems, since satellites compatible with KSATlite will also be compatible with the new relay service.

The Hyperion satellites will validate the core functions of HYPER by transmitting to and receiving data from customer spacecraft, relaying that data through the Hyperion system, and exercising inter satellite links within the overall architecture.

The mission will also verify end to end data flow from a customer satellite, through Hyperion, and down to ground in near real time, while showing that the in orbit layer can slot into existing ground infrastructure and mission operations workflows.

Each Hyperion spacecraft will support S band links for telemetry, tracking and command, and Ka band for high throughput payload data, mirroring the service model customers know from KSATlite while adding additional resilience via space based routing.

KSAT plans to deploy Hyperion on high performing satellites of around 300 kilograms, providing the power, pointing agility and communications capacity needed to demonstrate the full HYPER concept at operationally relevant scale.

The company notes that 2026 marks ten years of KSATlite operations, and positions HYPER as the next stage in automating and hardening ground segment services for an increasingly crowded and demanding orbital environment.

HYPER will draw on the full KSAT global ground network as its backbone, using established sites in locations such as Svalbard and Antarctica to close the loop between space based relays and terrestrial downlink stations.

In describing the mission, Arnulf Kjeldsen, EVP Strategy and Technology at KSAT, said that in an increasingly complex operational environment, resilience and speed are as important as coverage, and that Hyperion is a key step in proving how HYPER can strengthen secure data delivery and give customers more control over when and where their data reaches the ground.

Hyperion will host multiple customer demonstrations and early testing campaigns so operators can explore how low latency relay services might enhance their missions and prepare for onboarding to the full commercial HYPER offering.

KSAT has signed a launch contract for the first Hyperion satellites and is targeting initial deployment in late 2027, paving the way for an operational in orbit relay service that sits on top of its established ground network.