We’re thrilled to announce a multi-year, multi-launch agreement with SpaceX, solidifying them as our go-to-launch provider through the end of 2025. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is the world’s most reliable and frequently-flown rocket that offers low-cost rideshare services, making SpaceX a natural choice for us. The first planned launch under this agreement is […]
48 SuperDoves, our Flock 4s, were successfully delivered to orbit today on SpaceX’s Transporter-1 mission. This record-setting launch carried 143 satellites to orbit – the most spacecraft ever deployed on a single mission. Our missions operations team has made contact with the first set of 40 satellites (continuing our 100% success rate […]
Planet is rocketing into the new year with 48 SuperDoves, our Flock 4s, scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-1 mission. This rideshare mission launching out of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida will deliver Flock 4s to a sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 500 km altitude. These 48 SuperDoves bring improvements to […]
On October 28, 2020 Rocket Lab successfully launched Flock 4e’, nine latest-generation SuperDoves, on the Electron rocket from their New Zealand launch site. The Flock 4e’ SuperDoves were deployed into an approximately 500 km, morning-crossing Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO), joining the rest of the constellation providing medium-resolution Earth imagery with unprecedented coverage […]
Planet’s next scheduled launch of Flock 4e’, a total of 9 SuperDoves on Rocket Lab’s Electron, is currently planned for the first half of October and will lift off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Emerging from the unfortunate launch accident of Flock 4e on […]
On September 2nd, 2020 (September 3rd, 2020 UTC), the Vega rocket successfully lofted 26 SuperDoves, Flock 4v, on Arianespace’s VV16 SSMS-POC flight, along with several other small satellites. The first 14 SuperDoves were successfully deployed into an approximately 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit, and Planet’s mission operations team is already shepherding those satellites […]
The world’s largest fleet of high-resolution imaging satellites just welcomed three new satellites to the family. On August 18, 2020, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched SkySats 19, 20 and 21 on yet another successful Starlink rideshare mission. Much like SkySats 16-18, which were launched by SpaceX on June 13, 2020, SkySats 19-21 […]
Planet is set to launch three more new SkySats (SkySats 19-21) into Low Earth Orbit on August 18th (date subject to change), rounding out the fleet of SkySats already in operations and joining SkySats 16-18 that successfully launched aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 in June. Planet SkySats 1-15 operate in Sun Synchronous […]
On July 4, 2020 (July 5 local time in New Zealand), Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket carrying Planet’s Flock 4e (five SuperDoves) suffered an anomaly preventing the successful launch and deployment of the satellite payloads. While it’s never the outcome that we hope for, the risk of launch failure is one Planet is […]
This June and July will be busy times for the Launch and Satellite Operations teams at Planet. In addition to the successful launch of three new SkySats this past Saturday (with three more launching this summer), we have another five SuperDoves (Flock 4e) launching on Rocket Lab’s “Pics or It Didn’t Happen” Electron launch later […]
