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Two NYSE-listed Earth observation companies with different strategies: BlackSky focuses on high-revisit, on-demand tasking with AI-powered analytics for defense and intelligence customers, while Planet Labs runs what it describes as the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites, built for systematic daily monitoring plus high-resolution tasking.[1,6]
Facts checked Oct 11, 2026; each row cites its sources below.
| Metric | BlackSky | Planet Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Founded[1,6] | 2014 | 2010 |
| CEO[2,7] | Brian E. O'Toole | Will Marshall (co-founder) |
| Headquarters[1,5] | Herndon, VA | San Francisco, CA |
| Employees[1,5] | 321 (Dec 31, 2025) | About 1,000 (Jan 31, 2026) |
| Publicly Traded[3,6] | Yes (BKSY, NYSE) | Yes (PL, NYSE) |
| Market Cap (early 2026) | ~$991M | ~$5.2B |
| Revenue (latest full fiscal year)[1,5] | $106.6M (calendar 2025) | $307.7M (fiscal 2026, ended Jan 31, 2026) |
| Private funding on record | $101M raised privately before listing | $262M raised privately before listing |
| Satellite Constellation[1,5,6] | Gen-2 and Gen-3 high-resolution smallsats (no fleet count in the 10-K) | Over one hundred satellites designed, built and operated (10-K, fiscal year to Jan 31, 2026): SuperDove, SkySat, Pelican (10 on orbit, Sep 2026) and Tanager-1 |
| Imaging Resolution[1,5] | 35 cm electro-optical and 1.2 m short-wave infrared (Gen-3) | Up to 3.5 m (SuperDove), up to 50 cm after processing (SkySat, Pelican), 30 m (Tanager hyperspectral) |
| Revisit Rate[1,5] | Up to 15 times per day at peak, dawn to dusk (company figure) | SuperDove fleet aims to image the Earth every day; SkySat and Pelican can capture a chosen site several times per day |
| Imaging Approach | On-demand, high-res tasking: specific targets | Systematic wide-area monitoring plus high-res tasking |
| Spectral Bands[1,5] | Electro-optical plus short-wave infrared (Gen-3) | Multispectral (SuperDove); over 400 bands (Tanager hyperspectral) |
| Software / Analytics[1,5] | BlackSky Spectra: tasking and analytics platform with an AI and machine-learning layer | Planet Insights Platform (includes the former Sentinel Hub), Planetary Variables |
| Primary Customers[1,5] | U.S. defense and intelligence (NRO, NGA, U.S. Space Force) and international ministries of defense | Defense and intelligence, civil government, agriculture, energy, forestry, finance, insurance, mapping |
| Revenue Mix (latest fiscal year)[1,5] | 57% outside the U.S., 43% U.S. (2025); four customers made up 89% of revenue | Defense & Intelligence 59%, Civil Government 23%, Commercial 18% (fiscal 2026) |
| Key Contracts[1,3,5,6] | NRO Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) vendor; NGA Luno A and Luno B; eight-figure NRO award for AROS (2026) | Swedish Armed Forces Pelican constellation (Dec 2025); $8M NGA award and German government satellite-services tender (Aug 2026) |
| Launch Partners[4,6] | Rocket Lab Electron: primary Gen-3 launch provider, 17 BlackSky launches contracted since 2019 (Feb 2026) | SpaceX rideshare (Transporter-18 for Tanager-2 and 18 SuperDoves); agreement with Isar Aerospace to launch a Pelican |
| Competitive Positioning[5] | Fast tasking plus AI analytics for defense customers | Daily coverage and an archive averaging over 3,000 images for every point on Earth's landmass (company figure) |
Figures as of Nov 11, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
BlackSky operates a constellation of high-resolution Gen-2 and Gen-3 smallsats built for on-demand tasking. In its 2025 annual report the company says it can revisit most locations up to 15 times per day under ideal conditions, measured from dawn to dusk, and its Gen-3 satellites add 35 cm electro-optical and 1.2 m short-wave infrared imaging. This tasking model suits defense and intelligence customers who monitor specific facilities, ports, or military sites. BlackSky's Spectra software platform hosts AI and machine-learning analytics on top of the imagery, so customers receive answers as well as pixels.[1]
Planet Labs takes the opposite approach: its SuperDove satellites aim to image the Earth every day at up to 3.5 m resolution, building an archive that averages over 3,000 images for every point on Earth's landmass. SkySat and Pelican satellites provide tasked imagery at up to 50 cm after processing (Planet had 10 Pelicans on orbit by September 2026), and the Tanager-1 hyperspectral satellite, launched in August 2024 and sponsored by Carbon Mapper, captures over 400 spectral bands at 30 m. Planet's strength is change detection at global scale: deforestation, crop health, urban growth, and infrastructure development.[5,6]
BlackSky sells mainly to government agencies. Its U.S. customers include the NRO, the NGA, and the U.S. Space Force; it is a key vendor on the NRO's Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) program and supports the NGA's Luno A and Luno B programs. In 2025, 57% of revenue came from customers outside the United States, and four customers together accounted for 89% of revenue, a concentration the company lists as a risk. Revenue for 2025 was $106.6 million.[1,2]
Planet Labs reported $307.7 million of revenue for fiscal 2026 (the year ended January 31, 2026). Defense and intelligence customers provided 59% of it, civil government 23%, and commercial customers 18%. Beyond government, Planet serves agriculture, energy, forestry, finance, insurance, and mapping customers. Recent government deals include a December 2025 agreement to build and operate a constellation of Pelican satellites owned by the Swedish Armed Forces, and in August 2026 an $8 million NGA award and a German government satellite-services tender.[5,6]
BlackSky is adding Gen-3 satellites (in August 2026 it said the next two were expected to launch in the third quarter) and is developing AROS, a planned class of multispectral, large-area collection satellites, under an eight-figure NRO award. Planet Labs is growing its Pelican high-resolution fleet, has shipped Tanager-2 and 18 SuperDoves for launch on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare, and has agreed with Isar Aerospace to launch a Pelican from Europe. Both companies are betting that the value in Earth observation is shifting from imagery toward analytics.[1,3,6]
Track both companies with real-time data on SpaceNexus