Planet expands Pelican satellite fleet with launch of two new spacecraft
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 30, 2025
Planet Labs PBC has shipped its Pelican-3 and Pelican-4 satellites to Vandenberg Space Force Base in preparation for their upcoming launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The deployment marks a continued build-out of Planet’s next-generation Earth observation fleet.
The company also announced that its satellite production line is now fully operational, with multiple Pelican and Tanager units currently under construction. With over 650 Earth imaging satellites launched to date, Planet says this milestone underscores its ability to manufacture large-scale constellations efficiently.
“Building on our recently-announced satellite service partnerships in Asia and Europe, we’ve ramped up production of our Pelican fleet,” said Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO. “Launching these additional satellites enables us to more rapidly respond to market needs. With high resolution, low latency, and NVIDIA’s lightning-fast GPU onboard, Pelicans are the optimal satellites to meet the demands of the AI transformation.”
The two Gen 1 Pelican satellites offer imagery with resolutions up to 40 cm across six multispectral bands, enhancing cross-sensor analysis. Integrated NVIDIA Jetson AI chips allow on-orbit edge computing, accelerating data processing and delivery for time-sensitive applications. Gen 2 Pelicans, anticipated in 2026, are expected to reach 30 cm resolution.
Brian Lewis, Mission Director for Pelican, added, “Each launch marks a significant milestone in building a constellation that allows rapid, intraday global revisits and helps our customers solve the problems that challenge them. Whether it’s more urgently responding to natural disasters or providing critical defense and intelligence awareness, Pelicans are foundational to Planet’s mission to use space to improve life on Earth.”
The new Pelicans will enhance Planet’s tasking satellite fleet, boosting high-resolution imaging capacity for government, commercial, and defense clients. Further satellite deployments are scheduled in the coming year, all designed to integrate with Planet’s broader constellation for seamless, dynamic Earth data solutions.
Learn more about Pelican capabilities here.
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