Overview
Planet Labs PBC operates the largest fleet of commercial Earth observation satellites in orbit. The company uses small, mass-produced satellites to provide daily, global imagery — enabling monitoring of agriculture, forestry, disaster response, urban development, and climate change at unprecedented temporal resolution. Planet's approach of "agile aerospace" — building many cheap satellites and iterating rapidly — has disrupted an industry traditionally dominated by a few expensive, long-lived platforms like those built by Maxar.
Satellite Fleet
Planet operates three distinct satellite constellations: SuperDove (PlanetScope): ~200+ satellites at approximately 5 kg each, providing 3-metre multispectral imagery across 8 spectral bands. This fleet images Earth's entire landmass every single day. SkySat: ~21 satellites providing 0.5-metre high-resolution imagery with sub-daily revisit, suitable for detailed infrastructure and change monitoring. Pelican (Tanager): Next-generation hyperspectral imaging satellites being deployed for methane and greenhouse gas detection — a critical tool for climate accountability. See Satellite Eye to discover which imaging satellites photograph your location every day.
Agile Aerospace Model
Planet pioneered the "agile aerospace" approach — building small, inexpensive satellites using commercial off-the-shelf components and iterating rapidly. Each SuperDove weighs just ~5 kg and has a design lifespan of 3–5 years, with replacements launched continuously on rideshare missions aboard Falcon 9, Electron, and other vehicles. This allows Planet to update its fleet's technology every few years rather than relying on decade-old hardware, and ensures natural orbital decay removes old satellites without active deorbiting.
Applications & Impact
Planet's daily global imagery has enabled applications that were previously impossible: near-real-time deforestation alerts in the Amazon, daily crop monitoring across entire continents, maritime vessel detection for fisheries enforcement, and disaster damage assessment within hours of an event. The company serves governments (including the US Department of Defense and intelligence agencies), agricultural firms, insurance companies, NGOs, and researchers worldwide. Planet's data is also used for orbital environment monitoring and infrastructure mapping.
Competition & Market
Planet competes with Maxar Technologies (WorldView Legion, 0.3m resolution), BlackSky (1m resolution, AI analytics), Airbus Defence & Space (Pléiades Neo, 0.3m), and Capella Space (SAR radar imaging). Planet's competitive advantage is temporal resolution — no other commercial operator images the entire planet daily. For high-resolution tasking, Maxar and Airbus offer superior spatial detail. See Satellite Eye to explore which operators can see your location.