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 Pelican-12, an updated second generation (Gen 2) high resolution Pelican™ satellite. Pelican-12 was launched to orbit aboard the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission with SpaceX from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Planet has successfully made initial contact with the satellite and has begun the process to commission the satellite and lower its orbital altitude. This successful mission marks Planet’s 25th satellite sent to orbit in 2026, across four launches.
Pelican-12 reached orbit just over three months after Pelican-11, the engineering pathfinder Planet launched in July, and carries updated payload and communication systems informed by that mission. Like Pelican-11, Pelican-12 will allow Planet to test and validate new technologies before they are carried onto future Planet spacecraft. Among them is a prototype communication package designed to test satellite-to-satellite communications for SES Space & Defense by downlinking imagery via the company’s O3b mPOWER satellites. This technology demonstration is part of Planet's work to explore commercial data relay services that could reduce latency in the delivery of data to customers. Pelican-12 also carries the NVIDIA Jetson platform for onboard edge compute to accelerate on orbit AI inferencing.
Gen 2 Pelicans are designed to provide up to 30 cm class imagery, a step beyond the 50 cm class captured by Gen 1. Pelican-12 is the fifth Pelican to launch in 2026. With Pelican production at Planet's expanded Berlin facility scheduled to start this year, and additional Pelican launches planned for 2027, Planet continues to scale its manufacturing capabilities to keep pace with rising customer demand for its high-resolution data and Satellite Services offerings.
To learn more about Planet's Pelican constellations and capabilities, visit https://www.planet.com/constellations/pelican/.
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.