Tanager-1 Is Ready for Launch: Planet’s First Hyperspectral Satellite
Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) announced that its first hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1, is ready for launch. The satellite is set to launch in July from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. Tanager-1, developed in partnership with the Carbon Mapper Coalition and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), aims to detect greenhouse gas emissions and support various commercial applications. The satellite uses advanced imaging spectrometer technology and will complement Planet’s existing satellite fleet. On-orbit commissioning will involve analyzing hyperspectral data for sustainability and commercial purposes. The mission underscores Planet's commitment to providing actionable Earth data.
- Tanager-1 is Planet Labs' first hyperspectral satellite, enhancing imaging capabilities.
- The launch is scheduled with SpaceX's Transporter-11 Rideshare mission in July.
- Partnerships with Carbon Mapper Coalition and NASA JPL bring advanced technology to the mission.
- The satellite will support greenhouse gas emission detection and various commercial applications.
- Planet's existing satellite fleet will be complemented by Tanager-1's hyperspectral data.
- Successful on-the-ground tests confirm the satellite's readiness for harsh launch environments.
- The mission aligns with Planet's goal of providing actionable Earth data for sustainability and security.
- Potential delays in the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission could impact the launch schedule.
- The success of the mission relies heavily on the performance of new and complex technologies.
- Financial risks associated with the development and launch of advanced satellites.
- Operational challenges in integrating hyperspectral data into existing systems and services.
Insights
The announcement of the Tanager-1 hyperspectral satellite launch represents a significant technological advancement for Planet Labs, potentially reshaping its market positioning. Hyperspectral imaging can unlock new revenue streams by offering detailed analytics across various sectors such as emission monitoring, environmental sustainability and resource management. This diversification could bolster the company's financial health by attracting a broader customer base.
From a financial perspective, investors should note that such innovations, while promising, come with substantial R&D costs and operational risks. The collaboration with NASA JPL and Carbon Mapper exemplifies a strong public-private partnership that could mitigate these risks and leverage shared expertise. However, it's important to monitor the actual performance and commercial uptake of Tanager-1 post-launch to gauge its real impact on Planet Labs' revenue and market share.
In the short term, the market may respond positively due to the enhanced capabilities and partnerships highlighted in the announcement. Long-term benefits will depend on the successful deployment, data accuracy and subsequent customer adoption of the hyperspectral data services.
The Tanager-1 satellite leverages advanced imaging spectrometer technology developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Hyperspectral imaging involves capturing and processing information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. Unlike ordinary cameras that capture images in three bands (red, green and blue), hyperspectral sensors capture data in many more bands, providing detailed spectral information for each pixel in an image.
The significance of this technology lies in its ability to detect materials and monitor environmental changes with unparalleled precision. For instance, it can identify specific chemical compounds and analyze vegetation health, water quality and mineral compositions. The complexity and potential applications of this technology mean that Planet Labs could position itself as a key player in industries requiring detailed environmental monitoring and resource management.
From a technical stance, the successful launch and operation of Tanager-1 will be important for demonstrating Planet Labs' capability in handling sophisticated spaceborne sensors and integrating these technologies into their commercial services.
The launch of Tanager-1 is a notable development in the context of global environmental monitoring and policy. The satellite's ability to detect 'super-emitters' of methane and CO2 aligns with international efforts to mitigate climate change by providing data that can lead to actionable insights. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, approximately 25 times more effective than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 100-year period, making its monitoring and mitigation critical.
This initiative could enhance transparency and accountability in emissions reporting and help policymakers craft more effective environmental regulations. For businesses, access to precise emission data may prompt shifts in operational practices to meet regulatory standards and pursue sustainability goals. However, the effectiveness of this satellite in driving policy changes will depend on the cooperation between public and private sectors and the integration of this data into regulatory frameworks.
In summary, Tanager-1's data could be transformative for environmental governance, but the real-world impact will depend on the subsequent actions taken by various stakeholders based on the insights provided.
Tanager-1 on the horizontal shaker table after successfully passing a series of vibration tests that ensure the spacecraft can withstand the intense acoustic environments of a rocket launch. (Photo: Business Wire)
Following on-orbit commissioning, Tanager-1 is planned to provide hyperspectral data both in support of the continued partnership with nonprofit organization Carbon Mapper and Planet’s broader commercial mission. Tanager-1 was enabled by the Carbon Mapper satellite program, which allowed Planet to combine its cutting-edge agile aerospace and smallsat bus technology with the state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer design developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This collaboration plans to provide scientific-grade data to enable action on sustainability use cases such as greenhouse gas point-source emissions.
“This important collaboration with Planet and Carbon Mapper is an innovative way to confront Earth’s most urgent climate challenges head-on,” said Laurie Leshin, Director of NASA JPL. “Our imaging spectrometer technology and expertise, leveraged and deployed on Tanager-1, will enable a broad range of stakeholders to pinpoint methane super-emitters and take action to mitigate them. The work of the Carbon Mapper Coalition will truly have a global impact, and we are proud to take part in ensuring mission success.”
Future Tanager imagery will be analyzed by expert scientists at Carbon Mapper to identify methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) "super-emitters" around the world. Planet expects to provide commercial hyperspectral data for a variety of use cases including emissions monitoring, biodiversity assessments, vegetation analysis, minerals mapping, and water contaminant assessments.
“I’m thrilled that Tanager has arrived at the launch site. This will provide hyperspectral data that will enable myriad applications from sustainability to security, and complement the data from existing Planet satellite fleets,” said Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet. “I am very proud to be a part of this unique public-private partnership with NASA JPL and Carbon Mapper.”
Planet’s hyperspectral constellation is designed to provide imagery with continuous spectral information across the visible and shortwave infrared (VSWIR) regions. Tanager’s imaging spectrometer leverages JPL’s heritage in imaging spectrometer design and development through decades of similar airborne and spaceborne sensors like the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT). The Tanager-1 imaging spectrometer will be the most complex optical system ever launched by Planet, and its delivery to the launch site demonstrates a host of new capabilities, expertise, facilities, and testing acumen at Planet.
In recent months, the integrated Tanager-1 spacecraft successfully completed a rigorous series of on-the-ground tests designed to ensure that the integrated satellite can withstand the harsh environments that it will endure at launch and in orbit. Pelican-1, a technology demonstration that successfully launched late last year, shares the same smallsat bus platform with Tanager-1. Together, the successful on-the-ground and in-orbit tests have proven Planet’s agile aerospace approach as applied to the larger and more complicated spacecraft that utilize this next-generation smallsat bus.
“Shipping the first Tanager satellite is an enormous step in realizing the vision of our unique public-private partnership with Carbon Mapper and NASA JPL,” said Mark Keremedjiev, Tanager Mission Director at Planet. “This milestone in our program is a shared achievement across a wide range of contributors and I am exceptionally proud of the team that has brought us to this point. I am excited to see the data our system will produce on-orbit and look forward to tackling the host of challenges spaceborne hyperspectral remote sensing is suited to address.”
In addition to Tanager-1, Planet will be launching 35 SuperDoves that will contribute to Planet’s flagship daily, global monitoring mission. PlanetScope data is used by hundreds of customers in defense and intelligence, civil government, and commercial markets to take informed action, and better contextualize events they’re seeing on the ground today. Planet’s daily scan and deep archive of data for every point on Earth is unique within the industry and provides customers with a continuous and complete view of their areas of interest. Further, the archive acts as a rich training ground for predictive machine-learning and advanced artificial-intelligence models, accelerating users’ ability to draw insights from the terabytes of data collected by Planet each day.
Planet is committed to delivering best-in-class data and services to its customers. The launch of Tanager-1 helps further the company’s mission of making change visible, accessible, and actionable.
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. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 1,000 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 listed on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on X (Twitter).
About Carbon Mapper Inc
Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit based in
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Planet Press
Claire Bentley Dale
comms@planet.com
Planet Investor Relations
Chris Genualdi
ir@planet.com
Source: Planet
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