Week in Space Data, every Friday.
Both founded in 2010, these Earth observation companies have taken different approaches: Planet Labs operates over one hundred satellites, led by a SuperDove fleet that aims to image the Earth every day, while Satellogic flies a smaller fleet of high-resolution NewSat satellites that also collect hyperspectral imagery and full-motion video, and sells both data and whole satellite systems.
| Metric | Satellogic | Planet Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 (Emiliano Kargieman and Gerardo Richarte) | Incorporated December 2010 |
| Headquarters | Davidson, NC (principal executive office); R&D in Argentina and Spain; manufacturing in Montevideo, Uruguay | San Francisco, CA |
| CEO | Emiliano Kargieman (co-founder) | Will Marshall (co-founder) |
| Public / Private | Public (Nasdaq: SATL), via SPAC merger closed 25 Jan 2022 | Public (NYSE: PL), via SPAC merger closed 7 Dec 2021 |
| Employees | 154 full time (31 Dec 2025) | About 1,000, incl. about 945 full time (31 Jan 2026) |
| Market Cap | ~$584M | ~$5.2B |
| Revenue (latest fiscal year) | $17.7M (year ended 31 Dec 2025; $12.9M in 2024) | $307.7M (year ended 31 Jan 2026; $244.4M the year before) |
| Constellation Size | 19 NewSat satellites in orbit, 18 operational (10-K, Mar 2026) | Over one hundred satellites: SuperDove, SkySat, Pelican, Tanager (10-K, Mar 2026) |
| Multispectral Imaging | 4 bands (blue, green, red, near-infrared) | 8 bands (SuperDove) |
| Optical Resolution | Mark V: 70 cm native, 50 cm after Satellogic enhancement | SuperDove up to 3.5 m; SkySat and Pelican up to 50 cm after processing; Gen 2 Pelican designed for up to 30 cm class |
| Hyperspectral | Yes: 25 m native resolution, 32 bands (Mark IV fleet payload) | Yes: Tanager-1 (launched Aug 2024), over 400 bands at 30 m |
| Coverage Model | Tasking and site monitoring (Aleph Observer); plans enough satellites to cover the planet continuously | SuperDove fleet aims to image the Earth every day; SkySat and Pelican revisit chosen sites several times a day |
| Satellite Manufacturing | In-house; Mark V costs about $1.3M per satellite including launch (company figure) | In-house design and build; expanding manufacturing in Germany |
| Business Lines | Data & Analytics (tasking, archive, Aleph Observer, Constellation as a Service) and Space Systems (satellite sales) | Subscription and usage-based data licences, plus satellite services contracts |
| Video Capability | Yes: satellites built to collect full-motion video | Yes: SkySat and Pelican tasking modes include video |
| Government Customers | Maxar Intelligence (now Vantor) is exclusive distributor to US government defense and intelligence agencies (Dec 2024); $30M multi-year international defense contract (Apr 2025); $18M Portugal satellite order (Dec 2025) | Defense and intelligence $180.2M of FY revenue; NRO EOCL contract (May 2022); Swedish Armed Forces Pelican agreement (Dec 2025) |
| Analytics Platform | Aleph Observer persistent monitoring | Planet Insights Platform (incl. the former Sentinel Hub, acquired with Sinergise in Aug 2023) and Planetary Variables |
Figures as of Nov 11, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
Planet's SuperDove satellites capture 8-band multispectral imagery and work together with the goal of imaging the Earth every day at up to 3.5 m resolution. For detail, Planet tasks its SkySat and Pelican satellites, which reach up to 50 cm after processing; Planet says its second-generation Pelicans are designed for up to 30 cm class imagery. Planet also has a hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1, launched in August 2024, which captures over 400 spectral bands at 30 m.
Satellogic's NewSat satellites are built to collect high-resolution multispectral imagery, hyperspectral imagery and full-motion video. Its developer documentation gives the Mark V multispectral camera as 4 bands at 70 cm native resolution, enhanced to 50 cm, and describes a hyperspectral payload on the Mark IV fleet with 25 m native resolution. In October 2025 Satellogic introduced a NextGen platform with 30 cm class resolution.
Planet reports that it designs, builds and operates over one hundred satellites. Its revenue was $307.7 million in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, up 26% from $244.4 million, mostly sold as subscription and usage-based data licences.
Satellogic reports 19 NewSat satellites in orbit, 18 of them operational, and revenue of $17.7 million in 2025, up from $12.9 million in 2024. It has two business lines: Data & Analytics, which includes tasking, archive imagery, Aleph Observer and Constellation as a Service, and Space Systems, which sells satellite systems to sovereign customers. Satellogic puts the cost of a Mark V satellite at about $1.3 million including launch, and assembles its satellites in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Defense and intelligence was Planet's largest vertical in its latest fiscal year, at $180.2 million of revenue. The US National Reconnaissance Office awarded Planet an Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract in May 2022, alongside Maxar and BlackSky, and in December 2025 Planet signed an agreement with the Swedish Armed Forces to build and operate a Pelican constellation they will own. Satellogic was not one of the EOCL awardees. In December 2024 it made Maxar Intelligence (now Vantor) its exclusive distributor to US government defense and intelligence agencies, and in April 2025 it won a $30 million multi-year contract with an international defense and security customer.
Track Earth observation companies with real-time data on SpaceNexus