Planet ships Pelican-11 satellite to launch site for SpaceX mission

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has shipped its Pelican-11 satellite to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for launch on SpaceX's upcoming Transporter-17 rideshare mission, according to a company statement.

Pelican-11 serves as a technology demonstration satellite for Planet's second-generation Pelican fleet. The satellite will test new technologies before their integration into the company's Gen 2 Pelican satellites, which are designed to capture imagery at up to 30 cm resolution, compared to the 50 cm resolution of first-generation Pelican satellites.

The company stated that Pelican-11 will not produce commercially available data. Instead, it will collect information to inform future Pelican designs and serve as a testbed for new technologies and operational concepts.

Planet plans to launch additional Pelican spacecraft in 2026 and 2027 to meet customer demand for satellite ownership and high-resolution data products, the company said.

Planet operates what it describes as the largest commercial Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites, providing daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions to customers in agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education, finance, and government sectors.

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