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A side-by-side comparison of two Earth observation companies with contrasting approaches to satellite imagery: high-frequency small-satellite coverage vs. large, high-resolution imaging satellites. In October 2025 Maxar Technologies retired its name: Maxar Intelligence became Vantor (Earth observation imagery and geospatial intelligence) and Maxar Space Systems became Lanteris Space Systems (satellite manufacturing), which Intuitive Machines bought in January 2026. This comparison covers the former Maxar business lines against Planet Labs.[6,7]
Facts checked Oct 11, 2026; each row cites its sources below.
| Metric | Planet Labs | Maxar (Vantor / Lanteris) |
|---|---|---|
| Founded[2,4] | 2010 | Maxar formed with its Oct 2017 acquisition of DigitalGlobe; launched the first high-resolution commercial imaging satellite in 1999 (company history) |
| Headquarters[1,8,9] | San Francisco, CA | Vantor: Westminster, CO; Lanteris: Palo Alto, CA |
| Ownership[1,5,6,7] | Public (NYSE: PL) since a Dec 2021 SPAC merger | Taken private by Advent International (May 2023); Vantor remains with Advent; Lanteris owned by Intuitive Machines since Jan 2026 |
| Revenue (latest public annual figure)[1,4] | $307.7M (fiscal 2026, ended Jan 31, 2026) | $1.605B (2022, all of Maxar incl. space manufacturing; last annual report before going private) |
| Primary Customers[1,4] | Defense and intelligence, civil government, agriculture, energy, forestry, finance, insurance, mapping | U.S. government was the largest Earth Intelligence customer (NRO EOCL and other programs, 2022) |
| Constellation Size[1,8] | Over one hundred satellites designed, built and operated (10-K, fiscal year to Jan 31, 2026) | Vantor: 10 electro-optical satellites (WorldView-1, -2, -3, GeoEye-1, six WorldView Legion) |
| Best Resolution[1,8] | Up to 50 cm after processing (SkySat, Pelican) | 31 cm (WorldView-3 panchromatic); 34 cm at nadir (WorldView Legion) |
| Revisit[1,4] | SuperDoves aim to image the Earth every day | Maxar planned up to 15 revisits a day over high-demand areas once Legion joined (2022 plan) |
| Satellite Approach[2,8] | Many significantly lower-cost satellites | Fewer, larger high-resolution satellites |
| Acquisition History[1,4] | BlackBridge (2015), Terra Bella from Google (2017), Sinergise (2023), Bedrock (2025) | DigitalGlobe (2017); sold the Canadian MDA business (Apr 2020) |
| Data Platforms[1,4] | Planet Insights Platform, Planetary Variables | SecureWatch imagery subscription (as of 2022) |
Planet Labs and Maxar represent two distinct philosophies in Earth observation. Planet describes its fleet as the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites; its annual report for the fiscal year to January 31, 2026 says it designs, builds and operates over one hundred satellites. Its SuperDoves aim to image the Earth every day at up to 3.5 m resolution, while SkySat and Pelican satellites (10 Pelicans on orbit by September 2026) deliver tasked imagery at up to 50 cm after processing. The model prioritizes temporal frequency, the ability to detect change anywhere on Earth every day, over raw resolution, and serves agriculture, forestry, defense, finance, and broad-area change detection at scale.[1,2]
Maxar sat at the opposite end of the spectrum: a small fleet of large satellites, led by WorldView-3 at 31 cm panchromatic resolution, with the U.S. government as the largest customer of its imagery business. In May 2022 the NRO awarded Maxar the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract, a five-year base contract with up to five one-year options that took over the imagery requirements of the earlier EnhancedView contract. Advent International completed its acquisition of Maxar on May 3, 2023, and the six-satellite WorldView Legion fleet launched between 2024 and early 2025. In October 2025 the imagery business became Vantor, which operates 10 electro-optical satellites, and the manufacturing business became Lanteris Space Systems; Intuitive Machines completed its $800 million purchase of Lanteris on January 13, 2026.[4,5,6,7,8]
Track both companies with real-time data on SpaceNexus