Planet Launches Suncatcher, Tanager-2, and 18 SuperDove Satellites

The launch marks Planet’s 40th successful mission, bringing its total satellites built and delivered on orbit to 718.

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about change on Earth, today announced the successful launch of 20 satellites: the first demo mission for Google's Project Suncatcher; Tanager-2, its latest hyperspectral satellite; and 18 SuperDoves. The spacecraft were launched to orbit aboard the Transporter-18 rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Planet has successfully made initial contact with Tanager-2, the Project Suncatcher prototype, and two SuperDoves and begun the commissioning process. Planet expects to make contact with the remaining 16 SuperDoves that will deploy on the D-Orbit ION orbital transfer vehicle on schedule. This marks Planet’s 40th successful launch and a total of 718 satellites built and delivered on orbit.

Developed in partnership with Google, the Project Suncatcher satellite will run the first-ever test of Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) in space. The moonshot project is exploring the feasibility of running machine learning (ML) compute systems in-orbit.

Developed in partnership with Carbon Mapper, Tanager-2 features best-in-class hyperspectral VSWIR (Visible, Near-infrared and Short-wave infrared) imaging capabilities. With a cutting-edge, adjustable sensitivity imaging spectroscopy payload onboard, Tanager is designed to capture imagery in 426 contiguous bands with ~5 nm spectral resolution at 30 m spatial resolution. This configuration makes Tanager an ideal sensor for detecting methane emissions and a myriad of hyperspectral applications such as rare-earth element (REE) identification, water quality analysis, and agricultural intelligence. Planet continues to work with Carbon Mapper to scale the fleet, with plans to build and deploy at least three additional Tanager satellites following Tanager-2.

The 18 SuperDoves of Flock 4J will supplement PlanetScope, Planet’s flagship near-daily, global monitoring mission, which provides consistent global coverage across millions of square kilometers for customers in commercial enterprise, civil government, and defense and intelligence sectors.

With more launches ahead, Planet continues to expand its constellations to meet global customer demand across satellite services, data and vertically-integrated geospatial intelligence solutions, and more. To learn more about Planet’s industry-leading capabilities, visit https://www.planet.com/constellation-services/.

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 commercial Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to 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, LinkedIn, or tune in to HBO’s ‘Wild Wild Space’.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements” about Planet within the meaning of the securities laws, including statements about the expansion of the high resolution capacity of Planet’s fleet, the delivery of such capacity to Planet customers, 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. Such statements, which are not of historical fact, involve estimates, assumptions, judgments and uncertainties. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements, including risks related to the macroeconomic environment. Such factors are detailed in Planet’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Planet does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events, except as required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260930836177/en/

Planet Press
Emily Lewis Benz
press@planet.com

Planet Investor Relations
Cleo Palmer-Poroner
ir@planet.com

Source: Planet

Key Terms

hyperspectral technical

Hyperspectral describes imaging or sensing that captures light across hundreds of very narrow color bands, producing detailed “spectral fingerprints” that reveal material composition or subtle conditions ordinary cameras miss—like seeing many more colors than the human eye to tell apart similar objects. For investors, hyperspectral technology can signal companies with advanced analytics or unique data products used in agriculture, mining, defense, environmental monitoring and manufacturing, potentially enabling higher-value services, new revenue streams and competitive differentiation.

imaging spectroscopy technical

A imaging spectroscopy is a sensing technique that captures both pictures and the spectrum of light for every pixel, producing an image where each point shows how materials absorb or emit different wavelengths. Think of it as a camera that also reads chemical fingerprints across a scene; investors care because it underlies products and services in areas like remote sensing, environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics and quality control, affecting companies that build sensors, satellites, software, and analytic services.

spectral resolution technical

Spectral resolution is a measure of how finely an instrument can distinguish different wavelengths (or frequencies) of light or other electromagnetic radiation; higher spectral resolution means the instrument can separate narrower wavelength differences and detect finer features in a spectrum. It is commonly expressed as the smallest resolvable wavelength difference (Δλ) or as a relative value λ/Δλ, and it affects the ability to identify chemical signatures, absorption lines, or color components; higher spectral resolution often requires more detector sensitivity or longer acquisition time, and can reduce signal strength per channel.

spatial resolution technical

Spatial resolution is a measure of how much fine detail an imaging system can show — essentially how close two objects can be and still appear as separate. For investors, higher spatial resolution usually means a product can detect smaller features or provide clearer diagnostic or mapping information, which can translate into better clinical outcomes, stronger regulatory acceptance, competitive advantage, and potentially higher sales; think of it like the difference between a standard photo and a high-definition close-up.