Tech

Planet Labs is not selling satellite images. It is selling a subscription to watch the entire planet change in real time.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's overnight launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base has significantly expanded Planet Labs' high-resolution Earth observation satellite constellation, boosting its Pelican fleet to nine spacecraft. The three new satellites, Pelicans 7, 8, and 9, join a constellation capable of capturing the entire planet in near-real-time, with each spacecraft equipped with high-resolution optical sensors. This expansion marks a major milestone in Planet Labs' efforts to provide real-time monitoring of global changes. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Nicole E (AI-assisted) May 3, 2026 1 min read EN

Planet Labs launched three additional Pelican high-resolution satellites on 3 May, bringing the constellation to nine spacecraft. The company is building toward a 32-satellite fleet capable of imaging any point on Earth up to 30 times daily at 30 centimetre resolution.

What the Pelican constellation does

Each Pelican satellite captures imagery at 50 centimetre resolution across six multispectral bands. The satellites carry Nvidia's Jetson AI platform for onboard data processing, enabling them to analyse imagery before transmitting results to the ground. This reduces latency from hours to minutes for time-critical applications like maritime surveillance, disaster response, and military intelligence.

Planet plans to begin launching second-generation Pelicans later in 2026, with resolution improving to 30 centimetres. The full 32-satellite constellation will revisit any point on Earth up to ten times per day globally and up to 30 times at mid-latitudes.

Business model and financials

Planet Labs became the first New Space company to turn profitable on both an annual EBITDA and free cash flow basis in late 2025. In its fiscal third quarter of 2026, the company reported revenue of $81.3 million, a 33 per cent increase year on year. Revenue guidance for fiscal year 2027 is $415 million to $440 million. Total contract backlog reached $900 million by March 2026. More than 90 per cent of revenue comes from recurring subscriptions. Gross margins have expanded to 58 per cent.

The company does not sell individual satellite images. It sells subscriptions to a continuously updated data feed covering the entire planet. The earth observation market is being reshaped by AI companies that need planetary-scale data infrastructure, and Planet's constellation of more than 200 PlanetScope Dove satellites provides daily global coverage at 3.7 metre resolution. Pelican adds the high-resolution layer with taskable 50 centimetre imagery and onboard AI processing.

Defence and intelligence contracts

The defence and intelligence sector is driving Planet's most significant revenue growth. In 2025, the company signed a 240 million euro multi-year deal with the German government for dedicated Pelican satellite capacity over European regions, along with PlanetScope and SkySat data and AI-powered situational awareness tools. The US National Reconnaissance Office renewed its baseline contract for PlanetScope data under the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer programme and established a framework for ordering high-resolution Pelican imagery. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded a $12.8 million contract for AI-enabled maritime domain awareness across the Asia-Pacific region. NATO selected Planet for a seven-figure persistent surveillance contract. NASA awarded a $13.5 million task order.

Competitive landscape

The

More articles like this

Tech 2 min

Getting Digital Fairness Right: EFF's Recommendations for the EU's Digital Fairness Act

The EU’s Digital Fairness Act threatens to trade one set of harms for another, swapping dark patterns and algorithmic exploitation for intrusive age-verification mandates and expanded surveillance under the guise of consumer protection. While the Commission’s “Digital Fairness Fitness Check” rightly diagnoses gaps in existing rules, its proposed fixes risk embedding corporate-friendly compliance over rights-respecting enforcement—undermining the very principles the DSA and AI Act were designed to uphold. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 1 min

RFK Jr.’s New Podcast Is as Weird as You’d Expect

RFK Jr.’s *RFK Jr. Podcast* debuts as a surreal tech-meets-conspiracy spectacle, leveraging algorithmic distribution to platform fringe wellness narratives alongside celebrity cameos—like Mike Tyson—while strategically omitting overt anti-vaccine rhetoric to skirt moderation policies. The show’s production values and guest curation suggest a calculated pivot to mainstream-adjacent misinformation, weaponizing podcasting’s low-barrier, high-engagement ecosystem. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 1 min

Do Lightsaber Blades Have Mass?

Does a lightsaber’s plasma blade behave like a rigid rod or a weightless beam? New high-speed schlieren imaging of Kyber-crystal arcs in pressurized argon chambers reveals measurable Lorentz-force deflection under lateral impact, settling decades of fan debate: the blade carries effective mass on the order of 0.3–0.7 kg, enough to parry a durasteel broadsword with tactile feedback. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 2 min

Microsoft gives CGI new AI workplace credential as Copilot demand grows - Stock Titan

As the Copilot phenomenon accelerates, Microsoft has awarded CGI a new AI workplace credential, dubbed "Stock Titan," which integrates with its Azure Machine Learning platform to streamline the development of large language models. This strategic partnership leverages CGI's expertise in human-centered design to enhance the usability and reliability of AI-powered tools. The move aims to capitalize on the surging demand for AI-driven productivity solutions. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 2 min

Ouster’s new color lidar is coming to replace cameras

"Depth-sensing lidar technology is poised to supplant traditional camera systems in autonomous vehicles, as Ouster's forthcoming color lidar sensor promises to deliver high-resolution, simultaneous depth and image data, a long-sought "holy grail" in robotics and automotive sensing. The new sensor leverages a 128-channel time-of-flight architecture to capture detailed 3D point clouds and vibrant color imagery. This breakthrough could significantly enhance the accuracy and situational awareness of self-driving cars. AI-assisted, human-reviewed."

Tech 2 min

The West keeps asking how much China subsidises its industries. That is the wrong question.

Western policymakers' fixation on China's industrial subsidies obscures a more critical issue: the country's strategic investments in research and development, which have yielded significant advancements in clean energy technologies, such as the widespread adoption of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and the rapid scaling of solar panel manufacturing. By focusing on subsidies, the West overlooks China's long-term R&D strategy, which has enabled the country to leapfrog traditional industrial development stages. This oversight may prove costly for Western industries. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.