Planet
Analysts: NRO’s commercial imagery purchases could reach $400 million by 2023
A report from Quilty Analytics projects Maxar will retain the bulk of future NRO imagery contracts and emerging competitors Planet and BlackSky will gradually gain market share.
Planet unveils tasking and API for expanding SkySat fleet
Planet unveiled a cloud-based dashboard and API June 9 to allow customers to task the firm’s growing SkySat constellation.
D-Orbit preps for in-orbit transportation business with upcoming Arianespace and SpaceX launches
Bruno Carvalho, D-Orbit’s vice president of business development, said the company hopes to launch one of its InOrbit Now (ION) propulsive cubesat deployers every two to three months after proving out the system and lining up customers.
SpaceX rideshare program putting downward pressure on prices
Planet VP Mike Safyan: “We are seeing launch providers starting to get more creative.”
Planet’s next six satellites will launch on upcoming SpaceX Starlink missions
Six SkySat satellites will be evenly split across two Starlink launches on Falcon 9.
COVID analytics puts geospatial industry in spotlight
Satellite images and other data can be analyzed to forecast potential spreads of the disease and move resources to help combat it.
NASA awards Planet $7 million Earth imagery contract
NASA employees, contractors and teams working on NASA-funded research will have access to Planet Earth observation imagery under a $7 million contract option the San Francisco company announced April 16.
Planet imagery reveals source of Beijing’s ongoing pollution
Air pollution has fallen dramatically in many areas of China as activity slows in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some parts of Beijing, though, have experienced little relief because work continues at nearby power plants and steel mills.
Pandemic fuels demand for satellite imagery
Demand is growing for satellite imagery to gauge the economic impact of the new coronavirus and for remote monitoring of facilities and infrastructure.
NASA to buy more commercial Earth observation data
NASA will seek continued access to Earth observation data gathered by commercial satellite constellations after a pilot program proved the value of those observations.
Planet stepping up marketing to defense and intelligence agencies
Rep. Derek Kilmer said commercial geospatial data should be used to supplement imagery from classified sources.
NRO awards imagery subscription contract to Planet
The National Reconnaissance Office awarded a commercial imagery subscription contract to Planet Labs Federal, a subsidiary of Earth observation company Planet.
Planet to offer higher resolution, more spectral bands
Planet is preparing to offer 50-centimeter-resolution imagery from its SkySat constellation and updating Dove satellites to gather imagery in eight spectral bands.
Sky Perfect JSAT, challenged by TV business, hedges bets on HAPS, 5G, HTS and smallsats
JSAT has lost more than half a million satellite television subscribers since 2013, when that business reached 3.83 million subscribers — the highest level in JSAT’s history.
Op-ed | Two more rules for building a megaconstellation
While the concept of constellation is not new, the challenges connected to operating hundreds of spacecraft at the same time are yet to be fully understood.
ESA evaluates data from Iceye, Planet and Spire Global
The European Space Agency announced plans July 29 to evaluate data from Iceye’s radar satellite constellation, Planet’s electro optical satellites and Spire Global’s weather, maritime- and aviation-tracking satellites to complement its own Earth observation constellation.
