2025 was a monumental year for Planet and our Pelican™ constellation of high-resolution tasking satellites. Pelicans are designed with improved optical performance and expanded spectral range to deliver sharp, detailed imagery while maintaining continuity with our existing SkySat® fleet.

Join us as we review the big Pelican stories from 2025 and preview what’s ahead.

Five Satellites Launched

Our first Pelican satellite, launched in 2024, was joined by five more in 2025: Pelican-2 in January, Pelican-3 and Pelican-4 in August, and Pelican-5 and Pelican-6 in November.

These tasking satellites provide 50 cm class imagery across 6 multispectral bands optimized for cross-sensor analysis. And through our partnership with NVIDIA, these Pelicans are equipped with their Jetson AI platforms to enable rapid on-orbit compute and swift delivery of insights to customers.

All five satellites successfully made it to orbit and are communicating with ground control. Pelican-2, Pelican-3, and Pelican-4 have entered production while Pelican-5 and Pelican-6 are currently in the commissioning processes.

New Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Berlin Announced

In September, Planet announced plans for a new manufacturing facility to build Pelican satellites in Germany, which will double our manufacturing capacity for our Pelican fleet. Berlin has long served as Planet’s European headquarters, making it a natural fit for a manufacturing site. This investment creates skilled jobs, strengthens our supply chain, and enhances capabilities to bolster peace and stability across Europe.

Expanded Commercial Partnerships

In January, Planet signed a multi-year $230 million agreement to expand its partnership with a long-standing Asia-Pacific commercial partner, to build and deliver a constellation of Pelican satellites. This partnership is a major step forward for our satellite services. The partner gains critical satellite capabilities while they help Planet accelerate key programs and benefits for our customers.

In July, Planet announced a multi-year €240 million agreement funded by the German Government, in support of European peace and security. This enables dedicated capacity and direct downlink of services on Pelican satellites over specific European regions. It supports Germany’s efforts to rapidly enhance and bolster regional peace and stability without the operational complexities of building and maintaining their own satellite infrastructure.

Customers Start Using Pelican

Throughout the year, select Planet customers have been able to take advantage of tasking Pelican satellites though a limited availability program. In December, Pelican entered general availability for all eligible customers to order their own tasked imagery.

The Pelican constellation is designed to efficiently capture fleeting and emerging events, which can help customers anticipate new patterns or risks. Our customers are using Pelican imagery to support a range of use cases, from asset tracking and intelligence gathering to disaster response.

2026 and Beyond

Pelican’s next-generation capabilities provide the information needed to act quickly in the face of change. In 2026, Planet anticipates launching additional Pelican spacecraft, and working to demonstrate rapid tasking, rapid downlink, and select on-orbit processing capabilities.

Interested in Learning More?

Our recent webinar, Transform Tasking Workflows with Tasking Credits and Pelican Imagery, focused on Pelican capabilities, including flexible ordering, tasking credits, and planned enhancements. Register to watch, today!