Planet
NGA assembles jigsaw puzzle of diverse commercial, government geospatial data sets
"We are trying to effectively link air, land, sea and space. The geospatial context on the ground may give you some type of indications and warning of something happening in space," said Chirag Parikh, director of NGA's Office of Source Strategies.
Planet sets deadline for Canadian ground station license
Stymied by extended regulatory delays, Planet is planning to remove a ground station it built in Canada if it does not receive a government license for it by June.
Largest cubesat operators say 25-year deorbit guideline a priority
Planet and Spire, operators of the two largest commercial cubesat constellations in orbit, say they manage their fleets to prevent retired spacecraft from lingering in space beyond internationally accepted guidelines.
New companies needed to maintain small satellite market growth
The number of small satellites launched in 2017 exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts, but continued growth of the market will require new companies to start deploying constellations in the next few years.
PSLV launch a milestone for India and several companies
The successful launch of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Jan. 11 marked not just the return to flight of the rocket but also major achievements for several of the companies with payloads on board the vehicle.
SpaceX takes top honors in SpaceNews Awards for Excellence & Innovation
SpaceNews honored during an awards luncheon held Dec. 19 at the City Club of Washington. The luncheon was organized in partnership with the Washington Space Business Roundtable.
With “Mission 1” complete, Planet turns focus to data analysis
Having achieved its original goal of taking images of the entire planet every day, Planet is now focusing on developing machine learning capabilities to convert that imagery into actionable, and lucrative, insights.
Venture capitalist takes leave of absence from SpaceX board
A prominent venture capitalist who has been a key investor and supporter of commercial space efforts has left the firm he co-founded and is taking a leave of absence from the board of SpaceX.
Minotaur launches 10 satellites for Planet
An Orbital ATK Minotaur-C rocket successfully launched two sets of satellites for Earth observation company Planet Oct. 31 in what was effectively the return to flight of a vehicle that failed in its two previous missions.
Rocket Lab to fly satellites on second Electron launch
Rocket Lab, the U.S.-New Zealand company developing the Electron small launch vehicle, said Sept. 26 that it will fly four cubesats from two companies on the rocket’s next test flight late this year.
FinSpace winner LeoLabs working with Planet to show how commercial data helps satellite operators avoid collisions
For six months, Planet has been sharing with LeoLabs the conjunction warnings it receives from U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base. LeoLabs uses the data to provide Planet with additional information on debris threatening its satellites.
Planet wins second NGA satellite-imagery contract
Planet has won a second contract to provide satellite imagery to the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), taking a sole-source award while UrtheCast, Orbital Insight and Sky Hawk Drone Services offered noncompetitive capability statements.
Soyuz launches 73 satellites
A Soyuz rocket successfully launched 73 satellites, including spacecraft for four companies’ cubesat constellations, July 14.
On-orbit operations the next frontier for space, experts say
Operating while in orbit is the next big challenge for the space sector, be it manufacturing, assembly, satellite servicing, or debris removal, experts said.
Planet ground station caught in Canadian regulatory limbo
As Planet prepares to complete its initial constellation of remote sensing satellites, a ground station it built in northern Canada to communicate with those spacecraft remains offline because of delays in receiving a government license there.
Planet adding its imagery to Harris ENVI platform
Planet announced plans June 5 to offer data from its constellation of global Earth-imaging cubesats through Harris Geospatial’s ENVI desktop platform, which means customers will be able to use the data with ENVI image-analysis software to detect day-to-day changes, classify objects and extract geographic features.
