Since Planet’s founding, we’ve successfully built and launched over 500 (!) satellites. We did this by pioneering a new approach to building and launching spacecraft, one that encourages rapid iteration. We call this approach agile aerospace and we’ve been refining this new way of building satellites at scale since 2012 when we […]
Last week, 26 SuperDoves (Flock 4v) were launched on Arianespace’s VV16 SSMS-POC flight, joining Planet’s existing fleet of Doves and SuperDoves. Today, we’re thrilled to share the first light images from the new flock, and are happy to report that the satellites are all healthy and on their way to full commercial […]
Last month, Planet launched three high resolution satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket – SkySats 16-18 – the first of two launches delivering six more SkySats to orbit. We’re excited to share first light imagery from these recently launched SkySats, delivering 50 cm spatial resolution! The low launch insertion orbit by the […]
Rapid revisit is a qualitative term used in satellite monitoring to describe the ability of the system to make repeated image captures separated by short time intervals. This implies both that the constellation can respond at short notice to collect a target without waiting days for the satellites to pass overhead, and […]
Launching frequently (four times a year, on average) is part of our DNA. This rapid approach to aerospace allows us to iteratively test and deploy new technologies into orbit that will sustain our global monitoring mission and drive increased value for our customers over time. Last December, we launched 33 satellites aboard […]
On this day in 2013, Dove 2 escaped the surly bonds of Earth aboard a Soyuz 2-1A rocket (along with an unsuspecting and ill-fated crew of 45 mice, 8 gerbils and 15 geckos and some friends). The launch, on a sunny day at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, proceeded perfectly and first contact […]
I am the Director of Spacecraft Missions here at Planet and, along with our CEO Will Marshall, I previously worked at NASA analyzing the risk of space debris and developing mitigation strategies. We are acutely aware of the threat that debris poses to future satellite operations. We care deeply about it and […]
