Planet Labs
Formerly |
|
---|---|
Company type | Public |
NYSE: PL | |
Industry | |
Founded | December 29, 2010[1] |
Founder | [1] |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | [1][2] |
Products | "Dove", "RapidEye", and "SkySat" imaging satellites |
Services | Satellite-based Earth imaging and analytics |
Revenue |
|
Number of employees | 1090(as of 11 January 2023[update])[3] |
Website | planet |
Planet Labs PBC (formerly Planet Labs, Inc. and Cosmogia, Inc.) is a publicly trading American Earth imaging company based in San Francisco, California.[1][4] Their goal is to image the entirety of the Earth daily to monitor changes and pinpoint trends.[5]
The company designs and manufactures 3U-CubeSat miniature satellites called Doves that are then delivered into orbit as secondary payloads on other rocket launch missions. Each Dove is equipped with a high-powered telescope and camera programmed to capture different swaths of Earth.[6] Each Dove Earth observation satellite continuously scans Earth, sending data once it passes over a ground station, by means of a frame image sensor.[7]
The images gathered by Doves, which can be accessed online and some of which are available under an open data access policy,[8] provide up-to-date information relevant to climate monitoring, crop yield prediction, urban planning, and disaster response.[1] With acquisition of BlackBridge in July 2015, Planet Labs had 87 Dove and 5 RapidEye satellites launched into orbit.[9] In 2017, Planet launched an additional 88 Dove satellites, and Google sold its subsidiary Terra Bella and its SkySat satellite constellation to Planet Labs.[10][11][12] By September 2018, the company had launched nearly 300 satellites, 150 of which are active.[13] In 2020, Planet Labs launched six additional high-resolution SkySats, SkySats 16–21, and 35 Dove satellites.[14]
Through a deal funded by Norway's Climate and Forests Initiative (NICFI), Planet and its partners Airbus and KSAT are providing access to high-resolution basemaps of 64 tropical countries to help combat deforestation.[15] It also provides data to FAO's Framework for Ecosystem Monitoring (Ferm).[16]
Following a January 2021 launch of 48 Planet SuperDoves, the company operated a global constellation of over 200 active satellites.[17]
In July 2021 Planet Labs announced that they plan to become a public company and list on the New York Stock Exchange through a merger with the SPAC DMY Technology Group Inc IV. The deal would value Planet at US$2.8B.[18][19] The business combination was completed on December 7, 2021. Planet registered as a public benefit corporation and formally changed its name to Planet Labs PBC.[4] The stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on December 8, 2021. After the merger, Planet had more than $500 million in capital and about 190 satellites in orbit. The company expected it to take the next few years until they get to cashflow breakeven, funding their operations with $200 million from the aforementioned $500 million (the rest $300 million forming a "strategic warchest"). At the time of the merger, the company had over 600 customers (most customers, 90%, are annual subscriptions to Planet's data service) and it generated $113 million in revenue in 2020. At the time of the merger, Planet aimed to be profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis by early 2025, and to grow its annual revenue to nearly $700 million by early 2026.[20]
Planet Labs has contracts to supply imagery to various agencies of the US government, including the FAS, NOAA, Oak Ridge, Sandia, the Bureau of Reclamation, and NASA.[21]
History
[edit]Planet Labs was founded in 2010 as Cosmogia by former NASA scientists Chris Boshuizen, Will Marshall, and Robbie Schingler, who teamed up with John Kuolt in 2011 during his studies at Oxford University with a thesis to leverage the processing power of mobile phones to power the avionics of a nano-satellite. Mr. Kuolt's EP (Entrepreneurial Project) at Oxford University became the original business plan for Planet. [22][23][24] The initial goal of the company was to make use of information gathered from space to help with life on Earth. The group of scientists considered the problem with most satellites to be their large and clunky form, prompting them to build inexpensive and compact satellites to be manufactured in bulk, called CubeSats. The small group began building Planet's first satellite in a California garage.[25]
Planet Labs launched two demonstration CubeSats, Dove 1 and Dove 2, in April 2013.[26] Both Dove 1 (aboard Antares 110 rocket) and Dove 2 (aboard a Soyuz Rocket) were placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit.[27] Dove 3 and Dove 4 were launched in November 2013.[23]
In June 2013, it announced plans for Flock-1, a constellation of 28 Earth-observing satellites.[26]
The Flock-1 CubeSats were brought to the International Space Station in January 2014[28] and deployed via the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer in mid-February.[29] The company planned to launch a total of 131 satellites by mid-2015.[30]
In January 2015, the firm raised $95 million in funding.[31] As of May 2015, Planet Labs raised a total amount of $183 million in venture capital financing.[32]
In July 2015, Planet Labs acquired BlackBridge and its RapidEye constellation.[33]
On April 18, 2017, Google completed the sale of Terra Bella and its SkySat satellite constellation to Planet Labs.[10][11][34] As part of the sale, Google acquired an equity stake in Planet and entered into a multi-year agreement to purchase SkySat imaging data.[35]
On January 21, 2018, a Dove Pioneer CubeSat was part of the payload of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket, the first orbital-entry craft launched from a privately owned and operated spaceport at Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand.[36]
In July 2018, Planet laid off somewhat less than ten percent of its workforce.[37] In September 2018, the company had launched a total of 298 satellites, 150 of which were still active.[13]
On December 18, 2018, Planet announced they were in the process of acquiring the St Louis company, Boundless Spatial, Inc., a geospatial data software company.[38][39]
Several weeks after their acquisition of Boundless, Planet's attorneys asserted that executives from Boundless had failed to disclose “information concerning material customer contracts,” and the acquisition was thereafter renegotiated down by more than half, from $40M to $16M. According to Quartz, the executives of Boundless had failed to disclose details concerning work, or details concerning future work, with the NGA[40]
On 3 July 2020, it was mentioned in the news that the company had "more than 120" active satellites at the time "providing daily imaging coverage over all of the world's landmass".[41]
In August 2020, Planet completed its SkySat Constellation of 21 satellites by launching the final three SkySats on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.[42]
In May 2022, SES Government Solutions (now SES Space & Defense), a wholly-owned subsidiary of communications satellite owner and operator, SES, in partnership with Planet Labs, was awarded a US$28.96 million contract from NASA's Communications Services Project for real-time, always-on low-latency connectivity services to NASA spacecraft in low-Earth orbit for routine missions, contingency operations, launch and ascent, and early operations phase communications, using SES's geostationary orbiting C-band satellites and medium Earth orbiting Ka-band satellites, including the O3b mPOWER constellation.[43][44]
In August 2023, Planet cited "restructuring" as the reason for laying off 10% of its employees, about 120 individuals.[45] CEO William Marshall released a statement saying, "I want to be clear that I am responsible for the decisions that led us here. I know this has significant effects on the lives of our team and their families, and for that I am sorry."[46]
In June 2024, Planet Labs announced a reduction of nearly 17% of its global workforce, equating to approximately 180 jobs. The company stated in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the layoffs were necessary to align resources with market opportunities, improve operational efficiency, and support long-term growth and profitability. The decision is expected to incur a one-off cost of around $9.5 million to $10.5 million. [47]
Flock satellite constellations
[edit]Planet's PlanetScope Dove satellite constellation is designed to observe Earth. By using several small satellites, CubeSats, the constellation produces three to five meters high resolution images of Earth. The flock collects images from latitudes that are within 52 degrees of Earth's equator.[48] A large portion of the world's agricultural regions and population lie within the area imaged by the flock.[48] Initially, the mission used the ISS (International Space Station) and different track launch vehicles to get in orbit.[49]
Dove
[edit]Planet's Dove satellites are CubeSats that weigh 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) (1000 times lower than other commercial imaging satellites), 10 by 10 by 30 centimetres (3.9 in × 3.9 in × 11.8 in) in length, width and height,[50] orbit at a height of about 400 kilometres (250 mi) and provide imagery with a resolution of 3–5 metres (9.8–16.4 ft) and envisaged environmental, humanitarian, and business applications.[51][52]
- Flock 1c, consisting of 11 Dove satellites, was successfully launched on 19 June 2014 with a Dnepr rocket on a record-breaking launch that carried to orbit the largest number of satellites up to that time, 37.[53]
- Flock 1b, consisting of 28 Dove satellites, was successfully launched to the ISS on 13 July 2014 with the Cygnus Orb-2 cargo mission.[54] All of those satellites have been deployed from the ISS but 6, that have been returned to Earth with the SpaceX CRS-5 mission 212 days later.[55]
- Flock 1d, consisting of 26 Dove satellites, was supposed to be carried to the ISS with the Cygnus Orb-3 cargo mission but was lost due the Antares rocket exploding seconds after liftoff.[56]
- Flock 1d', consisting of 2 Dove satellites, was launched successfully as a replacement of the lost Flock 1d group on 10 January 2015 with the SpaceX CRS-5 cargo mission[57] and was later deployed from the ISS on 3 March 2015.[55] Decayed on 13 October and 17 December 2015 respectively.
- Flock 1e, consisting of 14 Dove satellites, was successfully launched on 14 April 2015 with the SpaceX CRS-6 cargo mission[58] and was later deployed from the ISS between the 13 and the 16 July 2015.[55]
- Flock 1f, consisting of 8 Dove satellites, was supposed to be carried to the ISS on 28 June 2015 with the SpaceX CRS-7 cargo mission but was lost due to the Falcon 9 rocket disintegrating 139 seconds into the flight.[59]
- Flock 2b, consisting of 14 Dove satellites, was successfully launched on 19 August 2015 with the HTV-5 cargo mission[60] and all but two satellites of the group has been deployed from the ISS, starting from 15 September 2015.[55]
- Flock 2e, consisting of 12 Dove Satellites, was successfully launched on 6 December 2015 with the Cygnus OA-4 cargo mission[61] and was deployed from the ISS between 17 May and 1 June 2016.[55] Decayed between 25 July 2017 and 14 August 2018.
- Flock 2e', consisting of 20 Dove Satellites, was successfully launched on 23 March 2016 with the Cygnus OA-6 cargo mission[62] and was deployed from the ISS between 17 May and 14 September 2016.[55] Decayed between 3 October 2017 and 10 November 2018.
- Flock 2p, consisting of twelve Dove satellites, and Flock 3p, consisting of 88 Dove satellites, were launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) PSLV-C37 on 22 June 2016 and 15 February 2017, respectively.[63][55][64] Flock 3p was the largest satellite fleet ever launched.[65]
- Flock 2k, consisting of 48 Dove satellites, launched to 485 km altitude orbit on 14 July 2017 aboard Soyuz-2.1a.[66][67][68]
- Flock 3m, consisting of 4 Dove satellites, was launched on 31 October 2017 on a Minotaur C rocket, along with six of Planet's SkySat satellites.[69]
- Flock 3p', consisting of 4 Dove satellites, was launched in India ISRO's PSLV-C40 mission on 12 January 2018.[70] Decayed between 18 March and 17 August 2023.
- A single Dove satellite nicknamed Dove Pioneer was launched on 21 January 2018 onboard the first successful flight (and second overall) of Rocket Lab Electron rocket.[71] Decayed on 22 September 2019.
- Flock 3r, consisting of 16 Dove satellites, was successfully launched on 29 November 2018 with the PSLV-C43 mission.[72]
- Flock 3s, consisting of 3 satellites, was successfully launched on 3 December 2018 to a 575 km altitude orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.[73][74]
- Flock 3k, consisting of 12 Dove satellites, was successfully launched on 27 December 2018. The flock was launched on a Soyuz Rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia into a sun-synchronous orbit.[75][76]
- Flock 4a, launched 1 April 2019, consisting of 20 SuperDoves, was the first flock including satellites with improved imaging technology. The flock was delivered to 504 km sun-synchronous orbit on ISRO's PSLV-C45 rocket.[77][78]
- Flock 4p, consisting 12 SuperDoves[79] with multiple spectral bands and other improvements was launched at 03:58 UTC on 27 November 2019 by PSLV C47 into a sun-synchronous orbit.[80][81]
- Flock 4e, consisting of 5 SuperDoves was planned to be launched into a 500 km SSO orbit onboard Electron on 4 July 2020.[82] However, due to a failure during the second stage burn, the payloads failed to reach orbit.[83]
- Flock-4v, consisting of 26 SuperDoves, was successfully launched on 3 September 2020 with a Vega rocket as part of the Small Satellites Mission Service Proof of Concept (SSMS PoC) mission.[84]
- Flock 4e’, consisting of 9 SuperDoves, was successfully launched on Rocket Labs Electron Rocket on 28 October 28 2020.[85]
- Flock 4s, consisting of 48 SuperDoves, was successfully launched on SpaceX's Transporter-1 mission. This record-breaking launch successfully deployed 143 satellites - the most ever on a single mission.[17]
- Flock 4x, consisting of 44 SuperDoves, was successfully launched on SpaceX's Transporter-3 mission on 13 January 2022.[86]
- Flock 4y, consisting of 36 SuperDoves, was successfully launched on SpaceX's Transporter-6 mission on 3 January 2023.[87]
- Flock 4q, consisting of 36 SuperDoves, was successfully launched on SpaceX's Transporter-9 mission on 11 November 2023.[88]
RapidEye
[edit]RapidEye was a five-satellite constellation producing 5 metres (16 ft) resolution imagery that Planet acquired from the German company BlackBridge.
The satellites were built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL)[89] of Guildford, subcontracted by MacDonald Dettwiler (MDA) of Richmond, Canada. Each satellite was based on an evolution of the flight-proven SSTL-150[90] bus, measuring less than 1 cubic metre (35 cu ft) and weighing 150 kilograms (330 lb) (bus payload) each. They were launched on 29 August 2008 on a Dnepr rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.[91]
Each of RapidEye's five satellites contained identical Jena-Optronik Spaceborne Scanner JSS 56[92] multi-spectral pushbroom sensor imagers. The five satellites traveled on the same orbital plane (at an altitude of 630 km), and together were capable of collecting over 4 million kilometres (2.5×10 6 mi) of 5 metres (16 ft) resolution, 5-band color imagery every day. They collected data in the Blue (440–510 nm), Green (520–590 nm), Red (630–690 nm), Red-Edge (690–730 nm) and Near-Infrared (760–880 nm).
The RapidEye constellation was officially retired in April 2020.[93]
SkySat
[edit]SkySat is a constellation of sub-metre resolution Earth observation satellites that provide imagery, high-definition video and analytics services.[34] Planet acquired the satellites with their purchase of Terra Bella (formerly Skybox Imaging), a Mountain View, California-based company founded in 2009 by Dan Berkenstock, Julian Mann, John Fenwick, and Ching-Yu Hu,[94] from Google in 2017.[95]
The SkySat satellites are based on using inexpensive automotive grade electronics and fast commercially available processors,[96] but scaled up to approximately the size of a minifridge.[97] The satellites are approximately 80 centimetres (31 in) long, compared to approximately 30 centimetres (12 in) for a 3U CubeSat, and weigh 100 kilograms (220 lb).[97]
The first SkySat satellite, SkySat-1, was launched on a Dnepr (rocket) from Yasny, Russia on 21 November 2013,[98] and the second, SkySat-2, launched on a Soyuz-2/Fregat rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on 8 July 2014.[99] Four more SkySat units were launched on 16 September 2016, by the Vega rocket's seventh flight from Kourou,[100] and six more SkySat satellites, along with four Dove CubeSats, were launched on a Minotaur-C rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 31 October 2017.[101][102]
In 2020, Planet lowered their constellation of 15 SkySats from an altitude of 500 kilometers to 450 kilometers to improve the resolution of orthorectified imagery from 80 centimeters to 50 centimeters per pixel.[103]
On June 13, 2020, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched SkySats 16, 17 and 18 along with a batch of its Starlink communications satellites.[104]
SkySats 19, 20 and 21 were launched on August 18, 2020 on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. This completed the SkySat fleet of 21 high-resolution satellites.[105]
When launched, the SkySat constellation was orbiting at an altitude of 450 kilometres (280 mi) and has a multispectral, panchromatic, and video sensor. It has a spatial resolution of 0.9 metres in its 400–900 nm panchromatic band, making it the smallest satellite to be put in orbit capable of such high resolution imagery. The multispectral sensor collects data in blue (450–515 nm), green (515–595 nm), red (605–695 nm), and near-infrared (740–900 nm) bands, all at 2 metre resolution.[106]
Pelican
[edit]The Pelican constellation is a constellation of Earth observation satellites to succeed the SkySat constellation.[107] The constellation is expected to consist of 32 spacecraft and will be based on a new design that includes Planet's next generation of imaging sensors, capable of capturing images with a 30 cm resolution. The constellation will have a revisit rate up to 10 times per day for most of the globe, up to 30 times per day at mid-latitudes.[108] The first demonstrator satellite, Pelican-1, has been launched on 11 November 2023 on SpaceX Transporter-9 mission and wlll validate the satellite platform, that will be used also on the Tanager satellites, without providing any commercially available data.[109]
See also
[edit]- Kepler Communications
- Maxar Technologies
- Robotic spacecraft
- Robert Simmon – Planet Senior Data Visualization Engineer
- Satellogic
- Spacecraft design
- SpaceX
- Spire Global
- Spot Image
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Planet Labs website". Planet.co. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Planet Labs Website". Planet.com. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "Planet Labs Website". Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ a b "Planet Announces Closing of Business Combination with dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV". Investors.Planet.com. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Company". Planet. May 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "The Tiny Satellites Ushering in the New Space Revolution". Bloomberg.com. June 29, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ PLANET IMAGERY PRODUCT SPECIFICATION: PLANETSCOPE & RAPIDEYE
- ^ "Planet Explorer". Planet.com. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ Tepper, Fitz (July 15, 2015). "Satellite Maker Planet Labs Acquires BlackBridge's Geospatial Business". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Google sells satellite imaging business Terra Bella to Planet Labs". Reuters. February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ a b "Planet to Acquire Terra Bella from Google, Sign Multi-Year Data Contract" (Press release). Planet Labs. February 3, 2017.
- ^ Gordon, Amy (February 4, 2017). "Google Sells Satellite Imaging Business Terra Bella To Planet". Tech Times. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ a b "Inside Planet Labs' new satellite manufacturing site". TechCrunch. September 14, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ "Planet's satellites aim for still sharper view of Earth". BBC News. June 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Norway funds satellite map of world's tropical forests". BBC News. October 22, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ "The space tech helping to tackle deforestation". BBC News. July 31, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Amos, Jonathan (January 24, 2021). "SpaceX: World record number of satellites launched". BBC News. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (July 7, 2021). "Satellite imagery company Planet Labs is going public, backed by Google, BlackRock and Marc Benioff". CNBC. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Planet Investor Presentation" (PDF). Planet Labs Investor Relations.
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (December 8, 2021). "Satellite imagery company Planet goes public, with $300 million 'war chest' after SPAC deal". CNBC.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "National Security Space: Overview of Contracts for Commercial Satellite Imagery" (PDF). US Government Accounting Office. General Accounting Office. December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ Brewster, Signe. "With plans to launch 28 satellites next year, at Planet Labs, the space industry is back", gigaom.com, 2 August 2013. Retrieved on 18 September 2013.
- ^ a b Graham, William. "Russian Dnepr conducts record breaking 32 satellite haul", nasaspaceflight.com, 21 November 2013. Retrieved on 26 November 2013.
- ^ Solon, Olivia. "In pictures: Planet Labs' nanosatellites" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Wired, 13 August 2013. Retrieved on 26 November 2013.
- ^ "History of Planet". Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Wall, Mike. "Planet Labs Unveils Tiny Earth-Observation Satellite Family", space.com, 31 August 2013. Retrieved on 18 September 2013.
- ^ "History of Planet". Planet. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ Wall, Mike. "Record-Breaking 33 'Cubesats' to Launch from Space Station This Month", space.com, 4 February 2014. Retrieved on 6 February 2014.
- ^ Klotz, Irene. "Satellite 'Flock' Launched From ISS Cubesat Cannon: Photos", discovery.com, 18 February 2014, Retrieved on 25 April 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Richard. "Mini-satellites send high-definition views of Earth", BBC, 15 May 2014. Retrieved on 16 May 2014.
- ^ "SpaceX raises $1 billion in funding from Google, Fidelity". NewsDaily. Reuters. January 20, 2015. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015.
- ^ Sarah Buhr. "Planet Labs Rockets To $118 Million In Series C Funding To Cover The Earth In Tiny Satellites". TechCrunch. AOL.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (July 15, 2015). "Planet Labs Buying BlackBridge and its RapidEye Constellation". Space News. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "Terra Bella Officially Joins Planet". planet.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (April 19, 2017). "Planet confirms Google stake as Terra Bella deal closes - SpaceNews.com". SpaceNews.com. Space News. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ Alex Knapp (January 21, 2018). "Space Startup Rocket Lab Successfully Made It To Orbit". Forbes. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Earth observation startup Planet trims workforce by “less than ten percent”, SpaceNews, 18 July 2018, accessed 21 July 2018.
- ^ "Planet to Acquire Boundless to Further Support U.S. Government Business". Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ Fernholz, Tim. "Investors lose $24 million in satellite intelligence tie-up gone wrong". Quartz.
- ^ "Investors lose $24 million in satellite intelligence tie-up gone wrong". Quartz. June 14, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ "Rocket Lab plans next launch Saturday, closes in on first mission from Virginia – Spaceflight Now".
- ^ "Satellites Are Capturing the Protests, and Just About Everything Else on Earth". Bloomberg.com. June 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ NASA, Industry to Collaborate on Space Communications by 2025 NASA. 20 April 2022. Accessed 29 May 2022
- ^ SES wins NASA contract Advanced Television. 10 May 2022. Accessed 29 May 2022
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (August 1, 2023). "Planet lays off about 10% of workforce as satellite imagery company restructures". CNBC. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ "A Note from our CEO". Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (June 27, 2024). "Planet lays off 17% of workforce". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Escobedo Jr., Victor M. (November 22, 2016). "NASA - NanoRacks-Planet Labs-Dove". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved March 5, 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Flock-3m – Minotaur-C – SkySat". spaceflight101.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ Will Marshall: Tiny satellites that photograph the entire planet, every day. YouTube. November 18, 2014.
- ^ Werner, Debra. "With 2 More Cubesats in Orbit, Earth-imaging Startup Planet Labs Ships Next Batch of 28 to Wallops", spacenews.com, 26 November 2013. Retrieved on 26 November 2013.
- ^ Bradshaw, Tim. "US start-up to launch record number of satellites", ft.com, 26 November 2013. Retrieved on 26 November 2013.
- ^ Graham, William (June 19, 2014). "Russian Dnepr rocket lofts record haul of 37 satellites". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Malik, Tariq (July 16, 2014). "Private Cygnus Spaceship Delivers NASA Cargo to Space Station". Space.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Krebs, Gunter Dirk (January 16, 2016). "Flock-1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ Plait, Phil (October 28, 2014). "Breaking: Antares Rocket Explodes On Takeoff". Slate. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Graham, William (January 10, 2015). "CRS-5 Dragon successfully launched – Core ASDS landing attempted". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Graham, William (April 13, 2015). "SpaceX Falcon 9 launches CRS-6 Dragon en route to ISS". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ "Unmanned SpaceX rocket explodes after Florida launch". BBC News. June 28, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ^ Gebhardt, Chris; Bergin, Chris (August 18, 2015). "HTV-5 Kounotori sets sail for the ISS". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Graham, William (December 6, 2015). "Cygnus returns to space via Atlas V launch". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Graham, William (March 22, 2016). "OA-6 Cygnus launched to the ISS via Atlas V". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ 10 things to know about ISRO's 20 satellites mission Times of India 22 June 2016
- ^ Tejonmayam, U (February 15, 2017). "Isro creates history, launches 104 satellites in one go". The Times of India. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Ribeiro, John (February 14, 2017). "India launches 88 earth imaging satellites from Planet Labs". PCWorld. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ "Launch Success – Russia's Soyuz Delivers 73 Satellites in Complex Multi-Orbit Mission". Spaceflight101. July 14, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (July 14, 2017). "When Doves Fly: 48 Flock 2k Satellites Successfully Launched and Deployed". Planet Labs. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ Jeff Foust (July 14, 2017). "Soyuz launches 73 satellites". Space News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Ten commercial Earth-observing satellites launched aboard Minotaur-C rocket – Spaceflight Now". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- ^ "Planet to fly four Dove satellites on ISRO's PSLV-C40". Planet Lab. November 29, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ Gebhardt, Chris; Bergin, Chris (January 20, 2018). "Rocket Lab successfully conducts second Electron launch". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Graham, William (November 28, 2018). "PSLV conducts HySIS launch with numerous co-passengers". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (December 3, 2018). "Flock 3s And 2 SkySats Successfully Launch On Falcon 9 SSO-A". Planet Labs. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ Stephen Clark (December 3, 2018). "SpaceX launches swarm of satellites, flies rocket for third time". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (December 27, 2018). "12 Dove Satellites Successfully Launched on Soyuz Rocket". Planet. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ "Spacecraft - Details". NASA - NSSDCA. Retrieved March 6, 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (March 6, 2019). "First Up For 2019: PSLV Launch Of 20 Next Generation Doves". Planet Labs. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "PSLV-C45 successfully launches EMISAT and 28 customer satellites". Press Information Bureau. April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ "Planet Announces More Spectral Bands, 50cm Resolution, Global Analytics, and Change Detection". Planet. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (October 24, 2019). "12 SuperDove Satellites Hitching a Ride to Orbit on the PSLV". Planet. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (November 26, 2019). "A Successful Launch for Flock 4p on the PSLV". Planet. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
- ^ Safyan, Mike (June 15, 2020). "Pics or It Didn't Happen: The Rocket Lab Launch of Five New SuperDoves". Planet. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (July 4, 2020). "Rocket Lab Electron launch fails". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (September 3, 2020). "Vega rocket deploys 53 satellites on successful return to flight mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "Rocket Lab successfully launches satellites for Planet and Canon – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Sesnic, Trevor (January 6, 2022). "SpaceX conducts first orbital launch of 2022 with Starlink Group 4-5". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ Lentz, Danny (January 3, 2023). "SpaceX rings in 2023 with Transporter-6 rideshare mission". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ Lentz, Danny (November 11, 2023). "SpaceX Transporter 9 rideshare features new OTV from Tom Mueller's Impulse Space". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "SSTL's RapidEye blog, 22 May 2008". Archived from the original on November 5, 2009.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter (October 24, 2019). "SSTL: SSTL-150". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ "Video of the launch provided by Russian space agency Roscosmos". TV Roskosmos. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Jena-Optronik".
- ^ "Historic RapidEye Constellation Captures Last Light". Planet Labs. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ Perry, Tekla S. (May 1, 2013). "Start-up Profile: Skybox Imaging". IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Henry, Caleb (August 5, 2014). "Google Closes Skybox Imaging Purchase". Via Satellite. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "High-Performance Satellites". Skybox Imaging. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ a b "Inside a Startup's Plan to Turn a Swarm of DIY Satellites Into an All-Seeing Eye". Wired. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "Silo-launched Dnepr rocket delivers 32 satellites to space". Website. Spaceflight Now. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Hearn, Mark (July 8, 2014). "Skybox Imaging successfully launches its SkySat-2 Earth observation satellite". Website. 9to5Google. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (September 16, 2016). "Vega rocket hauls up quintet of Earth observation satellites". Spaceflight Now.
- ^ Graham, William (October 31, 2017). "Orbital ATK Minotaur-C launches SkySat mission out of Vandenberg". NASASpaceFlight.
- ^ "Planet Doubles Sub-1 Meter Imaging Capacity With Successful Launch Of 6 SkySats" (Press release). Planet Labs Inc.
- ^ "SpaceX launches 58 Starlink satellites, three Planet SkySats on Falcon 9". SpaceNews. June 13, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "SpaceX launches 58 Starlink satellites, three Planet SkySats on Falcon 9". SpaceNews. June 13, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ Kriening, Torsten (August 20, 2020). "Planets SkySat Constellation now Complete". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "SkySat-1 Satellite Sensor". Satellite Imaging Corp. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Pelican 1, ..., x". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (April 21, 2022). "Earth-imaging specialist Planet details more powerful line of Pelican satellites". CNBC. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "Planet Launches First Pelican Tech Demonstration and 36 SuperDoves with SpaceX". BusinessWire. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
Media related to Planet Labs, Inc. at Wikimedia Commons
- Companies based in San Francisco
- Aerospace companies of the United States
- Technology companies established in 2010
- 2010 establishments in California
- Spacecraft manufacturers
- Private spaceflight companies
- Satellites deployed from the International Space Station
- Remote sensing companies
- Government procurement in the United States