Planet Unveils Details About Pelican

Rhea-AI Summary

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has announced its next-generation satellite constellation, Pelican, designed for very-high-resolution imaging and rapid revisit capabilities. Set to launch in early next year, pending FCC approval, the constellation will include up to 32 satellites, enhancing the capabilities of its existing fleet. Pelican aims to provide images with a resolution of 30 cm and up to 30 imaging opportunities daily in mid-latitudes, catering to rising demand for real-time data, particularly for tracking dynamic global events.

Positive

• Pelican constellation will enhance capabilities with up to 32 new satellites and 30 cm image resolution.
• Increased imaging opportunities: 12 per day globally, up to 30 in mid-latitudes.
• Designed for rapid response to global events, improving data access and real-time analytics.
• Planet's established history with over 500 satellites launched provides confidence in project execution.

Negative

• Launch and operational plans depend on securing necessary FCC licenses, introducing potential delays.
• The effectiveness of Pelican relies on customer adoption, which remains uncertain.

A Next-Generation Satellite Constellation for Very-High-Resolution and Rapid-Revisit Capabilities

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, today unveiled details about plans for Pelican, its next-generation satellite constellation, which was previously announced at Planet Explore 2021. Pelican is designed to rapidly capture changing events as they unfold and to provide a leap forward in capabilities for Planet customers – from higher revisit frequency and higher spatial resolution, to faster data access and delivery and real-time analytics. The program is under current development on-site at Planet’s in-house design and manufacturing facility.

“We are seeing strong and growing demand from multiple market segments for our high resolution products today. We have designed our next generation ‘Pelican’ fleet to meet the evolving needs of customers who want real-time information about global events as they unfold – from floods and wildfires to political conflicts and threats to human rights. Pelican’s rapid response and higher resolution will do exactly that,” said Planet’s Co-Founder and CEO Will Marshall.

Planet plans to launch Pelican starting early next year, subject to obtaining an FCC license, with a constellation of up to 32 new tasking satellites, to replenish and improve upon the capabilities of Planet’s existing 21 SkySat satellites. Pelican will provide higher resolution images at up to 30 cm resolution, enabling customers to see finer detailed information, as well as improved locational accuracy. Pelican is also designed to offer customers increased rapid revisit opportunities, with 12 imaging opportunities per day over most of the Earth, and up to 30 per day in mid-latitudes. With such capacity, Planet expects users will be able to capture transitory events multiple times per day, increasing their likelihood of obtaining a high value image, including during unpredictable or cloudy weather.

Leveraging third-party communications satellites, Pelican will also offer reduced latency for downloading data, creating shorter time loops between tasking and receiving data across the world. Pelican further will have electric propulsion for agile maneuverability and low-flying operations. Finally, Pelican will have significant on-board compute, enabling Planet to quickly deliver enhanced data to power customer real-time insights.

Planet operates with an agile aerospace approach to designing, building and upgrading spacecraft, using an iterative and modular process of innovation. Pelican was designed in-house and each satellite will be built and upgraded at Planet’s manufacturing facility in San Francisco. Planet has a proven track record of continuous product improvement, having launched approximately 500 satellites across 30 rockets, and as demand for high resolution satellite data continues to grow, the company believes it is well positioned to quickly build and deploy the satellites needed to meet that demand.

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, capturing over 30 TB of data per day. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 700 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 trading on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on Twitter.

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 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 the risk factors and other 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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220421005283/en/

Planet Press

Claire Bentley

Planet Labs PBC

comms@planet.com

Planet Investor Relations

Chris Genualdi, Cleo Palmer-Poroner

Planet Labs PBC

ir@planet.com

Source: Planet

FAQ

What is the Pelican satellite constellation by Planet Labs (PL)?

Pelican is a next-generation satellite constellation announced by Planet Labs, designed to enhance imaging capabilities with higher resolution and more frequent revisit opportunities.

When will Planet Labs launch the Pelican satellites?

Planet Labs plans to launch the Pelican satellites starting in early next year, subject to obtaining necessary FCC licenses.

How many satellites will the Pelican constellation have?

The Pelican constellation will consist of up to 32 new satellites.

What image resolution can customers expect from Pelican satellites?

Pelican satellites will provide images with a resolution of up to 30 cm.

What are the expected imaging opportunities per day for Pelican?

Pelican is designed to offer up to 12 imaging opportunities per day globally and up to 30 per day in mid-latitudes.