Learn how to migrate your workflows to the cloud, create custom visualizations, and stream data with OGC services — watch our webinar to learn more.

Planet has revolutionized the way geospatial professionals monitor changes on Earth. But as the volume of satellite data grows, so does the need for streamlined access, storage, and analysis. That’s where our latest updates come in — transforming the way you interact with and manage massive datasets, all while making the experience faster, more efficient, and more integrated with the tools you already use.

In a recent Agile EO webinar, Matt Ballard, Technical Marketing Manager, and Asa Strong, Senior Product Manager, walked us through exciting new features designed specifically to improve how you manage and integrate Earth observation data into your workflows. If you missed it, here’s a recap of what’s new and how it can help you unlock more value.

Streamlined Data Access

Planet Explorer has always been the go-to web application for searching and ordering imagery from our extensive PlanetScope and SkySat catalogs. However, downloading large volumes of data for local storage is a challenge, especially when dealing with daily updates.

With our new Imagery Collection feature, you can now have the data you’ve ordered delivered straight to cloud image collections — no more local downloads needed. Not only does this save you storage space, but it also gives you direct access to datasets stored in the cloud, ready for use in your software of choice through OGC services.

The benefit? You can now focus more on analysis and less on data wrangling. The days of manually handling terabytes of satellite data are over — our platform stores, organizes, and streams the data to your tools, whether it’s ArcGIS, QGIS, or Mapbox.

Key Updates to Planet Explorer: Bringing AOIs to Life

^{New saved Area-of-Interest search tool in Planet Explorer.}

One of the standout features introduced during the webinar was the improved Areas of Interest (AOI) Management in Planet Explorer, demonstrated live by Asa Strong. Now, users can access saved AOIs directly within Planet Explorer, enabling easier searches for relevant data without needing to upload or recreate them each time.

AOIs can be shared across teams, stored in feature collections (folders for your AOIs), and reused for future searches. For example, Asa demonstrated (skip to 8:28 in the recording to watch) how uploading wildfire perimeter data as a feature collection immediately enabled him to search for imagery within those boundaries, significantly cutting down time to locate the necessary data.

These updates are especially valuable for organizations managing large or recurring AOIs, like city planners, agricultural firms, or disaster response teams. By reusing AOIs, teams can collaborate seamlessly, ensuring everyone is working from the same dataset without having to pass files back and forth.

Imagery at Your Fingertips With Cloud-Based Delivery

^{New delivery destination in Planet Explorer for cloud imagery collections.}

In the past, users had to download datasets and store them locally. Now, you can deliver imagery directly into an imagery collection in the cloud, reducing infrastructure costs and streamlining access to data. Once data is ordered, it’s cataloged in the STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) specification, enabling easy search and retrieval.

But the game-changing aspect? You can now configure OGC web services to stream this data directly into your analysis software, whether it’s ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or Mapbox. Asa demonstrated how this allows users to visualize, analyze, and collaborate in real time, directly within their familiar geospatial platforms.

Imagine searching for imagery in Planet Explorer, ordering it into a cloud image collection, and instantly pulling that data into ArcGIS for interpretation — all in a few clicks. This kind of interoperability eliminates delays, allowing for faster, more agile decision-making.

A New Era of Efficient Imagery Management

In the ever-evolving field of satellite imagery, the need for more efficient ways to handle data is growing. These latest updates empower users to focus less on managing data and more on deriving insights. 

By providing cloud-based storage, reusable AOIs, and easy integration with popular geospatial tools, Planet is streamlining your ability to access, visualize, and analyze imagery—unlocking faster decision-making and more precise outcomes. 

If you haven’t had a chance to explore these new features yet, watch the full webinar to learn more and see the demonstration. If you’re new to Planet, test out our Sandbox Data Collections to better understand the capabilities.

The European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a critical framework designed to support and improve the agricultural sector across member states. However, the CAP’s requirements pose significant challenges, particularly in the area of remote sensing-based Area Monitoring Systems (AMS). Netherlands Geomatics & Earth Observation B.V. (NEO), a Planet partner, is addressing these challenges head-on, leveraging the Planet Insights Platform to enhance compliance with CAP requirements.

NEO’s Mission and Partnership with Planet

NEO, a leading provider of information services for continuous monitoring of geo-objects, has been at the forefront of agricultural monitoring for over 25 years. Their expertise in geo-data management and innovative use of technology has enabled them to support nationwide monitoring efforts in countries like the Netherlands and Ireland.

“At NEO, our goal is to monitor all objects visible from the skies,” said Henk Janssen, Project Manager and Consultant for Earth Observation and Geomatics at NEO. “Specifically, we focus on agricultural parcels to support national paying agencies in monitoring subsidy applications from farmers.” 

One of the primary challenges faced by NEO is the need for high-resolution, frequent data to monitor agricultural activities accurately. Through CAP, financial incentive programs support farmers in their transition towards sustainable and efficient farming practices through verified payout schemes. However, traditional reliance on Sentinel-2 satellite data has proven inadequate for verification and monitoring smaller fields and narrow land parcels, which make up a significant portion of CAP-eligible hectares. This is where the partnership between NEO with Planet comes into play.

The Challenge of Implementing CAP

Originally established in 1962, the CAP is a cornerstone of the EU’s efforts to support and improve the agricultural sector. With €58 billion allocated towards it in 2021, the CAP represents the largest share of the EU budget. The policy aims to strengthen the EU agricultural economy and improve productivity across 174 million agricultural hectares.

Since 2018, the CAP has been undergoing a modernization process aligned with the EU Green Deal, aiming to tackle climate change through sustainable management practices and the adoption of digital technologies. National authorities have traditionally relied on Sentinel-2 satellite data for the verification of these practices, but the limitations of this data in terms of resolution and cadence have posed significant challenges.

NEO’s Innovative Approach with Planet Insights Platform

NEO’s expertise in remote sensing has been instrumental in preparing for the AMS implementation. They have led several successful projects, including the Proof of Concepts in the Netherlands and operational implementation support in Denmark from 2018 – 2020. Currently, NEO is leading the setting up and running of the Dutch AMS  and is a project partner in the AMS implementation in Ireland.

The Planet Insights Platform has been a game-changer for NEO. Offering high spatial resolution satellite data with a near-daily satellite capture of real-time observations, the platform has significantly enhanced NEO’s monitoring capabilities. The number of monitored fields has increased by 25% compared to Sentinel-2 data, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has expanded its monitored parcels from 650,000 to 1 million.

“The Planet datasets are crucial for us because they fill the gaps left by Sentinel data sets,” explained Janssen. “With a higher return time and the ability to identify activities on smaller and narrower parcels, we can monitor 15-20% more parcels and use twice as many images to fill our models.”

Additionally, the partnership with Planet has allowed NEO to deliver high quality results to the Dutch Paying Agency (NEA)  that helps them to reduce the number of on-the-spot checks . This has streamlined the monitoring process, reducing administrative challenges and enabling more accurate reporting to the EU on subsidy spending.

“Until now each company has built their own pipelines, data processing, algorithms and derived datasets,” said Janssen. “By combining our skills with Planet’s capabilities, we can prepare for the future and scale up our competencies. This ecosystem approach is vital for building robust monitoring systems that can support the evolving needs of agricultural policy in the EU.”

Looking Ahead

As NEO continues to innovate and expand its capabilities, their partnership with Planet will play a crucial role in their ongoing success. By leveraging advanced remote sensing technology and reliable data, NEO is helping national authorities comply with CAP requirements and support sustainable agricultural practices across the EU.

Watch the accompanying video to hear more from Henk Janssen on how this partnership is transforming agricultural monitoring in the EU.

Every year on October 2nd, India celebrates Gandhi Jayanti, honoring the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, a global icon of nonviolent resistance. As one of India’s three national holidays, this day marks his legacy in advancing peace and social equity. His influence transcends time, and the United Nations established the “International Day of Non-Violence” in his memory.

In recognition of Gandhi’s contributions to humanity, we explored how the Planet data can support his vision in modern times.

Inclusive Development in a Changing World

Gandhi strongly advocated for self-sufficiency and rural development in India. He led the Khadi movement, encouraging locals to produce and wear locally-made clothes. Rooted in the principles of empowering rural communities and fostering self-reliance, the movement gained national support. 

At present, Khadi is still worn and celebrated across the country and recognized around the world as part of India’s rich cultural heritage. It is but one of the lasting legacies of Gandhi. He may have lived in a time before satellite imagery, but its advanced capabilities can make his vision of a sustainable and inclusive India a reality. As the world’s most populous nation facing the challenges of economic growth and the threat of climate change, its natural resources have been put under strain. 

The ancient city of Bhubaneswar is experiencing rapid urbanization, but growth has brought with it land encroachment activities. This issue poses a serious threat to the preservation of biodiversity, undermines government revenue, and prevents sustainable planning. In response, the Odisha Space Application Centre (ORSAC) collaborated with Vassar Labs to leverage Planet data for the early detection and prevention of illegal government land use. The partnership gave birth to the Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System (BLUIS). Since its launch, BLUIS has identified over 300 potential encroachments, significantly saving the government time and resources for land monitoring and management. By preventing illegal land use, the government successfully safeguarded environmentally sensitive areas, including forests, wetlands, and water bodies.

Agriculture, an industry that heavily relies on natural resources, especially water, also provides livelihoods to millions of India’s rural residents and generates significant export revenue. A key challenge is tackling crop stress, a common farming issue which directly impacts yield productivity. In response to this problem, Agribridge, an India-based agriculture company, developed a system to detect early signs of crop stress without human intervention. Access to this crop-level insight which uses Planet data helps local farmers take proactive measures to maximize harvest potential.

These two examples are just a glimpse into the countless ways in which Planet data has empowered and enhanced initiatives. When it comes to understanding Earth’s dynamic landscape, our multidimensional insights can help address present-day challenges such as biodiversity conservation, land use mapping, and precision agriculture, while also supporting government programs and policies to further Gandhi’s legacy of promoting sustainable and inclusive development.

As we further explore how Planet can support your specific initiatives, we invite you to join the upcoming Planet Webinar Series: Gov Insights to gain more insights into these important topics.

The name “Centinela” is storied in the tropical botany world. Surveyed by legendary botanist Al Gentry and others in the 1970s, the tiny Ecuadorian mountain range was discovered to harbor dozens of species new to science—roughly every third species they encountered. But in the years following this revelation, Centinela’s forests were decimated. For decades, botanists suspected that this treasure trove of unusual species had been lost forever. They even named one new orange-flowered species Gasteranthus extinctus, proclaiming its discovery in the same breath as its extinction.

Over the years, “Centinela” has come to stand for the sudden extinction of organisms inhabiting small, special ecosystems when that habitat is destroyed. And yet, in 2021, botanists from the Field Museum made a surprising, field-changing discovery. Gasteranthus extinctus survives in the tiny, remaining patches of cloud forest still clinging to Centinela’s ridgeline—along with the rest of Centinela’s remarkable flora.

Gasteranthus and Centinela Range offer us hope – and a lifeline – to halt species extinction before it’s too late. What this parable tells us is that even as we face the increasing fragmentation, degradation, and loss of habitats, the urgent and effective action we take today – protecting and investing in the most vulnerable, high-biodiversity places on the planet – can realistically prevent the disappearance of endemic and rare species that have made special places their home over generations. It can preserve the diversity of life that fires the imagination and feeds the soul of humanity.

Earth is having its Centinela moment. There is urgent need for effective, frequent, and accessible monitoring to ensure that these measures are applied in the places where extinctions are most likely to occur and irrecoverable biodiversity and natural capital are at greatest risk. Today, many of our most vulnerable and precious places receive limited global attention. More than 40% of Alliance for Zero Extinction sites are unprotected – the places where extinctions are most likely to occur. Many of the world’s 16,337 Key Biodiversity Areas go unmonitored for years–their status updated only once every half-decade. And about 1.22% of Earth’s landmass harbors concentrations of rare and threatened species in “species rarity sites” that remain vulnerable to destruction (Dinerstein et al. 2024). 

Introducing Project Centinela 

That is why Planet is launching Project Centinela – a new program to help leading scientists, conservationists, and stewards monitor and safeguard up to 50 of the world’s vulnerable biodiversity hotspots. Project Centinela will put an unprecedented array of high-resolution, high-frequency satellite imagery, analytics, and Planetary Variables into the hands of those who are maintaining a lifeline for biodiversity and the communities who depend on that variety of life. In many cases, these places will be in underinvested ecosystems where we know advances are needed in biodiversity understanding and in conservation outcomes. In the case of Centinela, a clear view of the last remaining fragments of cloud forest – at the resolution and pace that change is occurring – can put environmental groups, government agencies, researchers, and communities on a faster path to preserving them and advancing their recovery.

We consider Project Centinela one element of Planet’s contributions to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (known as the Biodiversity Plan) and an initiative that helps us fulfill our Public Benefit Corporation purpose: to accelerate humanity toward a more sustainable, secure, and prosperous world, by illuminating environmental and social change. We aim to engage an ecosystem of other partners to support these sites and conservation leaders.

We inaugurate this program with an initial set of eight sites, which exemplify up to 50 hotspots around the world Project Centinela will encompass over the next three years. 

Proposing Sites for Project Centinela

Conserving the globe’s most imperiled biodiversity and ecosystems happens only when we work together. We invite you to tell us where you believe it’s imperative to monitor and safeguard biodiversity, and how you’ll do it through collaboration between partners who hold the deep analytic expertise to hit the ground running with open Earth data and technologies and the boots-on-the-ground experience with local stewardship to turn knowledge into action. Sites are selected via an open application for eligible teams and sites. If interested in applying or staying informed about Project Centinela, please fill out our online form.

We look forward to supporting up to 50 of these partnerships in vulnerable biodiversity hotspots around the globe! 

Authors: Christopher Anderson, David Marvin, & Maxwell Joseph

As world leaders discuss climate solutions at Summit of the Future and Climate Week NYC, Planet is proud to announce the release of Forest Carbon Monitoring, a new data product for mapping forest change at high resolution worldwide.

Built using data from Planet’s fleet of Doves—the largest constellation of Earth-imaging satellites in the world—Forest Carbon Monitoring provides timely, operational, near-tree-scale insights into global changes in canopy height, canopy cover, and aboveground carbon density.

This dataset delivers insights into forest change every quarter and is provided at PlanetScope’s native resolution—near 3m—resolving deforestation, degradation, and forest carbon dynamics with unprecedented detail. The initial release includes quarterly observations from December 2020 through June 21st, 2024, providing rolling and current insights into forest structure and carbon.

Why is this dataset important right now?

Voluntary and jurisdictional carbon offset markets are navigating difficult but important questions around how to build trust among buyers, sellers, ratings agencies, regulators, local communities, and the public. And with EU Deforestation Regulation compliance slated to begin in December 2024, companies that source commodities—including soy, beef, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, and wood—will be required to assess, address, and mitigate deforestation risks in their supply chains.

Transparent, high-quality, regularly updated scientific data on deforestation and carbon storage are essential for markets and regulations alike to function and to flourish. Forest Carbon Monitoring was designed to support the monitoring, reporting, and verification needs of stakeholders across industries so they can spend less time navigating today’s fragmented data landscape and more time building the technical, financial, and regulatory systems that will underpin a more sustainable economy.

As world leaders meet this week, many are looking to chart pathways towards effective climate action. Of all climate solutions, carbon sequestration and storage by the biosphere provide huge mitigation potential, with forests offering the largest, cheapest, and most readily available set of solutions. Losing or slowing this pathway would be detrimental not only to climate efforts, but also to conservation and biodiversity initiatives around the world.

The release of Forest Carbon Monitoring marks the beginning of a new era in operational forest monitoring, and we look forward to supporting the wide array of government, commercial, and non-profit organizations working to build the next generation of natural climate solutions.

What use cases are supported?

Our customers and the broader scientific community can find many use cases, but we designed this dataset for project and jurisdictional monitoring, reporting, and verification of forest carbon stocks. The leading project type by volume in the voluntary carbon market continues to follow the REDD+ framework of avoiding deforestation of non-plantation forests, and our product excels at tracking deforestation and quantifying the resulting carbon losses. 

The power of quarterly, 3m resolution data lies in detecting complex, diffuse phenomena like forest degradation and regrowth. Not all forest loss is uniform, making it crucial to map the selective harvest of individual or small groups of trees. Losing large, valuable trees can contribute to a significant loss of carbon, so tools to track deforestation need to deliver fine resolution to accurately account for carbon loss from this kind of forest degradation, especially for REDD+ projects. Working with coarser resolution data does not provide the same level of detail as Forest Carbon Monitoring does, which is adept at capturing these fine-scale changes. The long-sought ability to track such subtle change at global scale is now possible only with Planet’s satellite-powered Forest Carbon Monitoring. 

A similar, long standing problem in remote sensing is detecting changes at early forest growth stages. Whether tracking natural regeneration or explicit interventions like reforestation, ARR (afforestation, reforestation, and restoration) projects generally rely on field site visits for monitoring. Forest Carbon Monitoring is sensitive to sapling and young tree growth, and can be combined with in situ data or data from other techniques to support digital monitoring, reporting, and verification, to improve quality and reduce costs.

Scaled up to sub-national or national scales, Forest Carbon Monitoring can also support jurisdictional carbon accounting, and policy implementations related to climate mitigation or adaptation.

^{Tracking reforestation progress with Forest Carbon Monitoring data can map tree growth over time across large areas.}

What is the fine print?

Detailed technical validation that provides analytical guidance is forthcoming. Our team is committed to providing transparent, rigorous analyses using multiple independent datasets to provide detailed insights into the quality of our products. You can read about our intercomparison and validation methods for the Forest Carbon Diligence product to get a sense for how we approach these analyses. Since Forest Carbon Monitoring data are provided at such high spatial resolution and temporal frequency, we expect this product will be closely scrutinized. We would like to take this opportunity to address one key question we’ve received in anticipation of the launch.

Many tree crowns are larger than 3×3 meters – so what does 3m carbon even mean?

While structural metrics like canopy height and canopy cover are valid at nearly any spatial resolution, the finest observed unit of carbon stock measurement is typically the individual tree. Since tree structure varies greatly from individual to individual, partitioning the carbon stock of a tree into gridded, two-dimensional subunits may seem unrealistic. We thus consider 3m carbon to represent an emerging frontier in forest monitoring, and suggest that analysis of carbon data at the native resolution be carried out with caution.

The majority of use cases we aim to support involve aggregation over multiple pixels—like plots, stands, projects, or administrative units—which increases accuracy due to the “averaging out” of local noise. Based on ecological scaling theory, we expect very high levels of uncertainty at fine scales, with prediction accuracy increasing as carbon estimates are aggregated. There are other challenges related to interpreting pixel-level data— like pixel-level coregistration issues and image-to-image variability—that increase fine-scale uncertainty. We try to mitigate some of these issues by providing statistically calibrated, pixel-level prediction intervals to characterize these various sources of uncertainty and to avoid reporting overconfident estimates of change.

As a result, we encourage some form of aggregation to a higher spatiotemporal unit for analysis, and do not advise users to only analyze data at the pixel level. Aggregation will increase predictive accuracy, decrease uncertainty, and better align with standard ecological scales of carbon quantification.

Despite these caveats, predicting forest structural attributes at high resolution is important to capture fine-scale changes. Some signals are clearer at 3 meters than at 30 meters, such as the loss of individual trees, development of logging roads, or local variation in tree survival following disturbance. In addition, 3m data contains detailed spatial information that can be used to discriminate between plantation forests (e.g., single row plantations) from naturally growing forests.

On a personal note

Since Planet Co-Founder and CEO Will Marshall’s TED Talk in 2014, the opportunity to leverage Planet’s unique satellite constellation for global forest monitoring has been apparent. Salo Sciences was founded to build the world’s most advanced forest monitoring system to track the health of the biosphere, and it has been our privilege to join Planet and make our shared vision a reality.

It has been a long and complex path to realize this opportunity, but we are thrilled to share this release with you. We believe this is the most precise forest mapping data available, but we also acknowledge that it’s not perfect. There is more to improve and refine, and we look forward to working with our partners, users, and the scientific community to further advance our shared goals.

The conclusion of one journey marks the beginning of the next, just as the sprouting of a seed presages the growth of a tree.

Ad Sylvae

As one of the world’s largest and most diverse agricultural producers, the Asia-Pacific region faces the critical challenge of ensuring long-term food security while preserving its environment and rich cultural heritage.

Tradition Meets Technology in Asia-Pacific 

The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated in the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan, is a major festival during the harvest season in the region. During the festivities, the people honor the moon, which is believed to be the harbinger of abundant harvests. This celebration occurs on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar when the moon is at its roundest and brightest. 

The rich tradition dates back 3,000 years ago when the moon’s light during mid-autumn extended the hours farmers could harvest their crops. At present, farmers face a multitude of challenges in ensuring high farm productivity such as shifting growing seasons, soil degradation, and water scarcity—all while the demand for food continues to rise. One solution to these challenges is regenerative agriculture, enhanced by satellite data. Regenerative agriculture is a sustainable farming approach that seeks to improve soil health and biodiversity, ensuring the long-term viability of agricultural lands.

Creattura, a Japanese company, blends tradition and technology to meet food demands while promoting sustainable food systems in the region. They collaborated with local communities, handling vast amounts of manual, raw data, which requires tedious processing. From the data collected, they identified that the outdated irrigation systems were consuming excessive water without necessarily improving yields. To address this, they analyzed soil moisture levels using Planet data. The localized farming insights led to the development of an automated irrigation calendar for the farmers, creating a more efficient system that conserves water and reduces carbon emissions. Creattura incentivized farmers to adopt the system by offering carbon credit funds generated from the system’s carbon emissions reduction.

In addition to optimizing irrigation systems, Planet’s solutions can also be integrated to help monitor crop health for early detection of pests and diseases, improve yield forecasting, streamline NDVI calculations, and protect biodiversity. Planet can help users gather, manage, and meaningfully visualize multiple sources of data, enabling farmers to focus on what is truly important for a fruitful season.

Given its deep connections to culture, civilization, and conservation, agriculture is crucial to building a sustainable and food-secure future. While we navigate the balance between feeding the growing population and minimizing our carbon footprint, technologies like satellite data and machine learning will be key to threading this needle. However, we must act now and collaboratively to achieve a greater impact. After all, without a healthy planet, we may no longer be able to celebrate festivals as our ancestors once did.Learn more about “Cultivating a Regenerative Future: Satellite Data for Food Security & Environmental Protection in Asia-Pacific” in our webinar on October 16th. We will discuss sustainable digital agriculture in detail with actionable insights from regional Planet data use cases.

Our leadership team at Planet continues to grow! I am thrilled to announce Troy Toman has been promoted to Chief Product Officer and James Mason has been appointed to the newly-created role of Chief Space Officer. Both roles are instrumental in continuing Planet’s growth as a platform company and leading innovator in today’s space industry. 

Troy Toman has been a part of Planet’s story since 2014, helping to grow the company’s software engineering and product and design teams into a cohesive organization. Under Troy’s leadership, Planet’s industry-leading computing and storage infrastructure has helped underpin the company’s platform expansion and growth – supporting hundreds of satellites across a variety of constellations. In his new role, Troy will oversee the growth and strategy of the company’s robust product offerings, including Planet’s flagship monitoring, tasking, analytics, and Planetary Variables product suite, as well as its recently-launched Planet Insights Platform. 

“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of many amazing initiatives in my career at Planet, but the most rewarding aspect of my role is working with the most talented, passionate and caring folks in the industry,” said Troy Toman. “As CPO, I have the privilege and responsibility of empowering our engineering, product and design teams to continue developing and maintaining our incredible array of products that allow our customers to easily unlock the value of EO data everyday. It’s an honor to step into this new position, and I look forward to continuing to make magic together.”

Troy has spent more than 30 years in the technology industry as a developer, architect and software leader, and previously led Planet’s global software engineering team. Prior to Planet, he has held roles at Rackspace, Veritas, Inktomi and Sun Microsystems. Troy earned his degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University.

James Mason was a Planet founding employee, and has held a number of different roles focused on developing and optimizing Planet’s space operations. James was an integral part of the team during Planet’s first successful satellite launch in 2013 – the first major milestone in our growth journey – and has played a role in all 600+ satellites Planet has launched. He leads the Space Systems team, which includes all aspects of developing, manufacturing, and operating Planet’s fleet of imaging satellites, supporting ground station networks, and mission control infrastructure.

“From building satellites in a garage with some friends all the way to the recent launch of our Tanager-1 hyperspectral satellite, I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of Planet’s pioneering agile aerospace journey and the incredible renaissance of the broader newspace industry,” said James Mason. “The mission of using space to improve life on Earth is what brought me to Planet, and it’s still what keeps me and my fellow Planeteers so passionately driven to this day. In the role of Chief Space Officer, and with our amazing team, I will continue pushing the remote sensing industry forward, most immediately by deploying our Tanager and Pelican constellations, to make global change more visible and actionable.”

Prior to Planet, James was a research scientist at NASA who worked on solving old problems in new ways, including on the PhoneSat missions, developing the LightForce debris remediation concept, and advancing novel optical communications concepts. He holds a Master of Space Studies from the International Space University, a BSc-Honours in Astrophysics from the National Astrophysics and Space Science Program, and a BSc in Physics and Applied Mathematics from the University of Cape Town.

At Planet, we have always believed in growing and shaping talent from within, and we are proud to promote these two remarkably talented individuals into well-deserved leadership positions. Both Troy and James have already proven themselves as dedicated Planeteers in their passion for our products, in solving customer problems and the growth of the industry at large. We look forward to what they will accomplish next!

Today, we are thrilled to release our first light images from our Tanager-1 hyperspectral satellite. Our first set of imagery is of Karachi, Pakistan, and was taken on September 19th, 2024, from an altitude of 522 km. 

In the following months, our partners, including Carbon Mapper and customers are expected to use the data to monitor and mitigate point-source methane and CO2 emissions, two potent greenhouse gasses. We also plan to make the hyperspectral data commercially available for a variety of use cases including defense and intelligence monitoring, biodiversity assessments, mineral mapping, water quality assessments, and much more.

Tanager-1 launched on Transporter-11 on August 16th, 2024. This is the second Planet satellite to leverage the our Smallsat platform and went through a one-month satellite bus commissioning process. “We are pleased to have already progressed to first light activities. Leveraging our decade of operational experience, our teams are rapidly making progress towards production operations of this satellite,” said Mark Longanbach, Planet’s Senior Vice President of Missions.

The satellite is the first of a planned hyperspectral constellation (made possible by the Carbon Mapper Coalition) that combines Planet’s cutting-edge agile aerospace and smallsat bus technology with the state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer design developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL). Tanager-1 is capable of imaging all wavelengths between 400 – 2500 nm simultaneously and is expected to provide rich datacubes—images of the ground but with 420 colors (‘spectral channels’)—that enable users to detect a multitude of surface features from gas emissions to ground chemicals to plant species. In the released imagery, we show a standard RGB image, a false-color near-infrared image, and false-color shortwave infrared images to showcase the broad wavelength range addressed by the satellite. These images showcase only 6 of the 400 total bands available to Tanager.

“Tanager first light is the biggest program milestone yet,” said Mark Keremedjiev, Planet’s Mission Director for the Tanager Hyperspectral Mission. “This image demonstrates Planet’s world-class imaging spectrometer and provides a tangible result to the years of investment and effort. It’s early days but we are very pleased with the quality we are seeing, and we believe that first light is but a preview of amazing things to come.”

We plan to continue to build on the success of our Smallsat platform as Pelican-2 progresses towards launch readiness in the coming months. With this modular and extensible platform, we are applying our agile aerospace development philosophy to both of our Pelican and Tanager missions to drive continuous improvements in the products we offer our customers.

We will continue with payload commissioning activities over the coming months and plans to begin delivering data to customers in 2025. 

Forward Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, the Company’s ability to capture market opportunity and realize any of the potential benefits from current or future product enhancements, new products, or strategic partnerships and customer collaborations, the Company’s ability to successfully design, build, launch and deploy, operate and market new products and satellites 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. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to them. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future events and results and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those projected. Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain required licenses and approvals from regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in a timely fashion, or at all; whether the Company will be able to successfully build, launch and deploy or operate its satellites, including new satellites either as designed, in a timely fashion or at all; the Company’s ability to develop and release product and service enhancements to respond to rapid technological change, or to develop new designs and technologies for its satellites, in a timely and cost-effective manner; whether the Company will be able to continue to invest in scaling its sales organization, expanding its software engineering (including its ability to integrate new satellite capabilities) and marketing capabilities; whether the Company will be able to accurately predict and capture market opportunity; whether current customers or prospective customers adopt the Company’s platform or new products; the Company’s ability realize any of the potential benefits from new products and satellites, as well as strategic partnerships and customer collaborations; and other risk factors and disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company’s periodic reports, proxy statements, and other disclosure materials filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which are available online at www.sec.gov, and on the Company’s website at www.planet.com. All forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Gone are the days when sustainability initiatives move at a snail’s pace, cost a fortune, and often with outdated onground data. Today, governments and private companies worldwide are integrating advanced technologies into their workflows, gaining unprecedented Earth insights with faster processing times—all without compromising quality.

At Planet, we have long held the view that only when we uncover previously unseen changes on Earth can we take informed actions to drive meaningful changes. And it starts with local communities. They are at the forefront of these changes. With this in mind, we went directly to three cities in three countries in the Asia-Pacific to discuss with the frontliners of change, exchange insights, and bring ideas over for our common sustainability goals at our inaugural Planet Connect events in Tokyo, Hanoi, and Sydney.

Highlights from Planet Connect 

Discussions at the Planet Connect Tokyo event were focused on Japan’s vulnerability to natural disasters—especially infrastructure-damaging earthquakes and unpredictable typhoons—that lead to ongoing challenges. Despite their world-class disaster management strategies, not having the right data at the right time can have devastating effects particularly when climate change starts catching up with these systems.

The 2024 New Year’s Day earthquake in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture left a tragic rubble. Within days after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, The Asahi Shimbun published a Planet satellite imagery of the seaside town. According to the article, “The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) analyzed the images and found the coastline in some areas in the bay had advanced about 200 meters offshore.” 

An accurate assessment of post-disaster areas, with the use of satellite imagery, can be crucial for recovery operations, efficient resource allocation, and mitigation planning for every emergency scenario.

At Planet Connect Sydney, the New South Wales government shared the NSW Imagery Hub that they launched in July 2023. The NSW Imagery Hub is a multidimensional data platform supporting 2,000 users in over 149 NSW government agencies and local councils. We were privileged to have Anthony Young, Senior Remote Sensing Scientist in the Spatial Imagery Services Team of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) share how integrating Planet data into their system improved emergency response, recovery and biodiversity programs across civil agencies. Young, in his presentation during Planet Connect Sydney, noted the usability of the data that enabled one of their important partners, the State Emergency Service to “support themselves during weekends and public holidays when the Imagery Hub staff are not available.” 

Additionally, as a new member of the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), we’re excited to strengthen our collaboration with local government organizations in Australia. For nearly three decades, the SIAA has been the national representative organization of the country’s space and Earth observation community and we look forward to supporting more sustainability programs leveraging our broad area management capabilities.

And finally, at Planet Connect Hanoi,  as Stephen Green, Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, noted in his opening remarks, “Commercial collaboration between the United States and Vietnam in the spirit of the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership announced in September 2023 is growing in an unprecedented manner and American companies like Planet are poised to make important contributions.” Inspired by solutions-oriented ministries and organizations, such as Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, we continuously look for more ways to collaborate and learn from regional governments to impact local initiatives. 

Discover local perspectives on using satellite data for disaster management in Asia-Pacific in our newest webinar series, the “Planet Webinar Series: Gov Insights Episode 1 – Saving Lives, Protecting Communities: The Power of Satellite Data for Disaster Management”.

In the face of increasing food demand, larger farm sizes, tightening regulations, and limited resources, agricultural producers are under pressure to optimize every aspect of their operations. Abelio, a leader in precision agriculture in France, has developed a crop monitoring solution designed to empower farmers, cooperatives, and agricultural distributors with the tools they need to make informed, sustainable decisions. By gathering data from various reliable sources, including PlanetScope imagery, and applying powerful algorithms and AI models, Abelio generates time-sensitive insights that are critical during the short growing season.

One of the key challenges for farmers is managing the tight timelines dictated by plant growth cycles. Missing even a few days of data can lead to suboptimal decisions, especially during cloudy seasons. This is where Abelio’s partnership with Planet comes into play. “Before partnering with Planet, farmers often had to rely on satellite imagery that was updated only every five days,” explained Samuel Bonnard, Head of International Business Development at Abelio. “This meant that cloud cover could obscure the fields for up to two weeks, leaving farmers in the dark. With PlanetScope’s near-daily imagery, we can provide the resolution and frequency needed to offer precise recommendations, helping farmers make timely decisions.”

Optimizing Nitrogen Use for Wheat Crops

Nitrogen is a vital nutrient for wheat crops, directly impacting crop yield and quality. However, excessive nitrogen use can harm the environment, leading to air and water pollution, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss. Abelio’s solution addresses this issue by enabling farmers to apply nitrogen more precisely, reducing environmental impact while maintaining or even increasing crop yields. “Nitrogen accounts for 40% of the carbon footprint of a farm,” Bonnard noted. “Our solution helps farmers reduce nitrogen use by 5-10% on average.”

Before Abelio’s solution, farmers calculated the minimum amount of nitrogen in one field and would apply the same amount of nitrogen across all their fields, leading to inefficiencies and waste. Abelio’s variable rate mapping approach allows farmers to tailor nitrogen application to the specific needs of each zone within a field. This saves money and prepares farmers for the Farm to Fork Strategy under the EU Green Deal that mandates a significant reduction in nitrogen use by 2030 and accelerates transition to a sustainable food system. 

Early adopters of Abelio’s smart farming solution are already seeing positive results. A large corn producer in France reported a 96% satisfaction rate after using the service, with a 7% reduction in nitrogen use and a 5% increase in yield, translating to nearly 50 euros in additional profit per hectare.

With the help of Planet’s near-daily imagery and Planet Insights Platform, Abelio can quickly regenerate maps and provide farmers with up-to-date recommendations, optimizing yields, reducing nitrogen use, and helping to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

Streamlining Data Analysis with Planet Insights Platform

Abelio’s evolution from a Planet customer to a partner highlights the growing importance of data in agriculture. By leveraging the Planet Insights Platform, Abelio has streamlined its data analysis process, becoming more efficient and productive. The platform allows Abelio to scalably process satellite data to train into its AI models, enabling the creation of precise agronomic models for biomass and chlorophyll content based on real-time field observations.

“Using Planet Insights Platform, we can retrieve satellite data from our customers’ plots quickly and easily,” explains Bonnard. “This API has allowed us to fully automate our service and run it in the cloud with a serverless architecture, significantly reducing our development time and costs.”

The collaboration with Planet has accelerated Abelio’s ability to build and deploy solutions, providing their customers with a responsive, continuously available service that leverages the latest data to inform decision-making. Abelio currently supports customers in France, and is testing in Canada, Australia, and Spain to provide farmers around the world solutions to optimize their agricultural operations, reduce their environmental impact, and make farmers’ lives easier.