Planet Joins ESA Third Party Mission Programme for Open Access to High-Frequency, High-Resolution Imagery

BERLIN (Planet Labs PR) — Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, today announced that Planet’s PlanetScope and SkySat data have joined the European Space Agency (ESA) Third Party Missions portfolio, enabling ESA to utilize Planet data for scientific, research, and pre-operational Earth Observation based applications development. Through distribution under the ESA Earthnet Programme, European researchers, scientists, and companies can access Planet’s high-frequency, high-resolution satellite data for non-commercial use.

Initiated in 1976, the ESA Earthnet Programme is a “Network for the Earth,” with the purpose of building an Earth Observation science community to acquire and share knowledge of our planet. Within this program, Planet joins more than 50 other missions owned by commercial or public organizations to add near-daily PlanetScope imagery, 50 cm SkySat imagery, and RapidEye archive data to this global network. In 2019, Planet entered into an agreement with ESA to evaluate making Planet’s data from its high-resolution constellation available as a Third Party Mission.

“We are very pleased to welcome PlanetScope and SkySat to ESA’s Third Party Missions portfolio and to begin the distribution of the Planet data through the ESA Earthnet Programme,” said Peggy Fischer, the Mission Manager of ESA Third Party Missions. “The high-resolution and high-frequency imagery from these satellite constellations will provide an invaluable resource for the European R&D and applications community, greatly benefiting research and business opportunities across a wide range of sectors.”

“Collaborating with ESA as part of the Earthnet Programme is the next step for Planet in our mission to image all of Earth’s landmass every day, making global change visible, accessible, and actionable”, said Charlie Candy, Planet’s Chief Revenue Officer. “It is fundamental that we empower the research community with transparent resources and knowledge for the benefit of all citizens.”

Planet’s work with partners through the ESA Earthnet Programme provides critical data to support the program’s ground-breaking work. Researchers and scientists are required to report their work and results after completion of their project through the program. The program was established with a goal to unleash a new set of uses and applications of Earth observation data to combat climate change and develop new capabilities in a variety of industries. The ESA TPM process includes the submission of a project proposal on the ESA Earth Online portal. To find out more on how to apply to the Earthnet Programme and get started with Planet data, join here.

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 Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites, capturing over 30 TB of data per day. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 700 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 trading on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on Twitter.

About ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int.