Planet Launches Three Additional High-Resolution Pelican Satellites
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about change on Earth, today announced the successful launch of three additional Pelican satellites, one of which is the first satellite to orbit as part of the recently-announced satellite services agreement with the Swedish Armed Forces (SwAF). The spacecraft were launched to orbit aboard the CAS500-2 rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Planet has begun the commissioning process for the three satellites after successfully making initial contact.
The launch of the SwAF Pelican marks a milestone in agile aerospace, with Planet delivering a sovereign orbital capability just over four months after the contract was signed. This mission transitions Sweden into an operational space power, providing the high-resolution, global monitoring necessary to detect threats in strategic regions like the Arctic. By reaching orbit years ahead of their original 2030 goal, the Swedish Armed Forces will be able to provide critical intelligence that strengthens both their national security and NATO’s collective situational awareness.
These advanced, AI-enabled Pelican satellites are the first to launch in 2026, building on the successful launches that brought five Pelicans to orbit in 2025. Each of these satellites is equipped with NVIDIA’s Jetson AI platform to facilitate on-orbit edge computing, which Planet has recently leveraged for successful AI-driven, near real-time object detection onboard Pelican-4.
As first generation (Gen 1) Pelicans, these spacecraft are built to capture 50 cm class resolution imagery across six multispectral bands, which are optimized for seamless cross-sensor analysis. Once commissioning is complete, they will operate alongside the existing Pelican Gen 1 fleet to support the delivery of the company’s 50 cm class high-resolution tasking solutions.
Planet is continuing to scale its Pelican manufacturing capacity to meet the growing, global customer demand for high-resolution data and sovereign satellite ownership. Planet’s expanding Pelican fleet is designed to provide users with the rapid, crisp imagery needed to inform mission-critical decisions in near real-time, particularly through leading solutions like Planet’s Global Monitoring Service (GMS). Planet is also continuing to deliver on and develop a strong pipeline for its satellite services contracts, supplying nations with a proven means of expanding their space capabilities with advanced, sovereignly-owned Pelican satellites.
Planet plans to continue to meet the rapidly growing need for its high-resolution monitoring solutions by launching additional Gen 1 and the first Gen 2 Pelican satellites later in 2026, which are designed to provide up to 30 cm class resolution.
About Planet Labs PBC
Planet is a leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. Planet is driven by a mission to image the world every day, and make change visible, accessible and actionable. Founded in 2010 by three NASA scientists, Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to customers comprising the world’s leading agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education and finance companies and government agencies, enabling users to simply and effectively derive unique value from satellite imagery. Planet is a public benefit corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on X, LinkedIn, or tune in to HBO’s ‘Wild Wild Space’.
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements” about Planet within the meaning of the securities laws, including statements about the expansion of the high resolution capacity of Planet’s fleet, the delivery of such capacity to Planet customers, and the Company’s ability to realize any of the potential benefits from product and satellite launches, either as designed, within the expected time frame, in a cost-effective manner, or at all. Such statements, which are not of historical fact, involve estimates, assumptions, judgments and uncertainties. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements, including risks related to the macroeconomic environment. Such factors are detailed in Planet’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Planet does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events, except as required by applicable law.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260503216574/en/
Planet Press
Emily Lewis Benz
[email protected]
Planet Investor Relations
Cleo Palmer-Poroner
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: California United States North America
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Defense Satellite Technology Aerospace Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence Contracts
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