Planet expands high-resolution imaging with Pelican-2 and SuperDoves

Planet expands high-resolution imaging with Pelican-2 and SuperDoves
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2025

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), a renowned provider of daily Earth data and insights, has successfully launched its high-resolution Pelican-2 satellite along with 36 SuperDove satellites from the Flock 4G series. The launch, conducted as part of SpaceX's Transporter-12 Rideshare mission, took place at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Shortly after launch, Planet confirmed contact with Pelican-2 and commenced its commissioning process.

Pelican-2 now joins Pelican-1, a smallsat platform tech demonstrator launched last year, marking an important step in Planet's next-generation high-resolution satellite fleet. This satellite complements Planet's existing SkySat capabilities, with additional Pelican satellites scheduled for launch later this year.

Engineered for precision, Pelican-2 delivers up to 40 cm class resolution imagery across six multispectral bands, specifically optimized for cross-sensor analysis. A collaboration with NVIDIA has equipped the satellite with the NVIDIA Jetson platform, enabling advanced on-orbit computing to significantly reduce the time from data capture to actionable insights.

Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet, commented on the launch: "It's exciting to see Pelican-2 on its way to launch. With NVIDIA's latest GPU onboard, we plan to combine cutting-edge AI with sat-to-sat comms - aiming to speed customer delivery time from hours to minutes. This is critical for applications from security to disaster response where minutes can make the difference. We're proud of our key partnerships with NVIDIA and NASA that have helped enable these advanced technologies onboard and have imbued Pelican-2 with this state-of-the-art capability."

Pelican-2 is also equipped with C-band and Ka-band radios, enabling Planet to conduct its first on-orbit satellite-to-satellite communication tests. These tests build on successful ground demonstrations completed under the NASA Communications Services Project (NASA CSP). Planet is working with SES Space and Defense and Telesat Government Solutions as subcontractors for the NASA CSP program. These public-private collaborations are vital for advancing the Earth observation industry's capabilities and applications across diverse sectors.

The 36 SuperDove satellites launched alongside Pelican-2 will reinforce Planet's medium-resolution fleet. These SuperDoves capture daily 8-band data, offering critical insights into Earth's changing systems for commercial clients, researchers, and governments. The SuperDoves enhance Planet's ability to provide consistent, reliable datasets for regional and global-scale analysis.

Planet's launch of Pelican-2 and the SuperDoves signifies a milestone in its mission to advance agile aerospace technology. With three distinct constellations now operational, Planet offers unparalleled Earth observation capabilities to its diverse customer base.