Planet Labs pushed to record highs Thursday after the geospatial imagery company shipped new batches of satellites for an upcoming SpaceX mission.
San Francisco-based Planet Labs on Wednesday announced that it delivered its Pelican-5 and Pelican-6 satellites, as well as 36 of its SuperDoves as part of its Flock4H constellation to the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellites will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transport-15 mission. The Transporter-15 mission is part of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program, which offers small satellite operators regularly-scheduled launch and mission opportunities.
The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than November, but an official date has not yet been announced.
Planet Labs said that the Pelican-5 and Pelican-6 will join the three other Pelican satellites currently in space, which will provide high-resolution images of the earth. The company expects to develop the Pelican fleet to ultimately deliver up to 30 cm resolution images, meaning each pixel from the photo represents a 30 cm x 30 cm area on the ground.
Planet Labs said the SuperDoves will help bolster its PlanetScope monitoring mission. The company's flagship mission provides daily insights into changes across Earth's surface, such as changes in vegetation, infrastructure and landscapes.
"We're continuing to see incredible demand for our high-resolution data, which is fueling the growth of these constellations and our recent decision to expand manufacturing in Germany," CEO Will Marshall said. "With this latest shipment of Pelicans and SuperDoves, as well as our ramped-up manufacturing capabilities, we're not just putting more satellites in orbit, we're providing our customers with the consistent and timely information they need to deliver results."
Planet Labs Stock
PL shares surged 7.8% Thursday, marking its sixth consecutive daily advance and to extend its record highs.
Planet Labs rocketed 83% in September and has trended sharply higher since its Sept. 8 earnings report.
PL stock is up more than 267% this year, and has surpassed its previous record high of 12.15 from November 2021.
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