Planet Signs Landmark Deal with National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

I’m pleased to announce that Planet has just signed a landmark agreement with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the US government’s source of geospatial intelligence.

This milestone is a humbling moment for us at Planet. Since launching our first satellite three years ago, our team has worked tirelessly towards our goal to image the entire Earth every day, and make global change visible, accessible, and actionable. We’ve built a world-class Earth-imaging and data system and NGA’s commitment to Planet with this contract is a testament to their progressiveness in seeking out new GEOINT solutions. It gives credence to the agency’s unwavering investment in the space renaissance and homegrown science and technology solutions.

The NGA provides aerial and satellite data and expert analysis to decision-makers of many agencies within the US government to support foundation Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT). It’s a pleasure to see the NGA executing on its bold Commercial GEOINT Strategy with such speed and agility. Throughout the negotiation process, we were delighted by the NGA’s enthusiasm for our “commercial-first” data set. With Planet’s data, the NGA will get coverage of the Earth’s landmass every 15 days.

NGA headquarters in Springfield, Virginia. Image captured June 9, 2016. Image ©2016 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0.

This is just the beginning of our work with the NGA and we hope many agencies of the US government will benefit from our global, high cadence satellite imagery. With the power of dozens of Dove satellites in orbit—plus the RapidEye constellation—we’re imaging at a frequency that is unmatched in the industry.

To have the US government as a customer for a commercial service isn’t just a win for Planet—it’s a boon for all innovators and new players participating in this space renaissance—whether they’re building powerful new satellites, increasing access to launch opportunities, or developing novel imagery analysis methods.

As the resurgence of commercial space continues, we’re eager to help commercial companies, humanitarian organizations, and organized governments around the world harness the power of space for the benefit of life down here on Earth.