Planet Labs vs Spire Global: Earth observation compared

Scores, Space (of 10)

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

Planet Labs is a US Earth-observation operator (~200 satellites launched) whose Pelican (high-res) and Tanager (hyperspectral) constellations are ramping, with FY26 revenue of $307.7M (+26%), its first full year of adjusted-EBITDA profitability and free cash flow, and FY27 guidance raised to $425-441M. Its growth engine is defense and intelligence (up 50% YoY, including a nine-figure Swedish Armed Forces deal and NATO extensions) on a backlog up 79% to ~$900M, though declining commercial agriculture and ~41% APAC concentration are mix risks. It has Google and NVIDIA partnerships and claims 98% recurring ACV.

Latest signals

• 22 Oct 2026Planet Labs indefinitely withheld satellite imagery of Iran and the surrounding conflict zone.Via Satellite
• 5 Oct 2026Google sent a Tensor Processing Unit into orbit to test space-based AI compute.The AI Insider
• 26 Sept 2026Planet Labs opened a satellite factory in Berlin, Germany.Space24

32 signals name Planet Labs.

Facts, with sources

• 18 Aug 2026Integration of SkySat imagery into HEO’s non-Earth imaging network, expanding the network to more than 50 in-space sensorsPayload
• 18 Aug 2026HEO partnership expanding its non-Earth imaging network to more than 50 in-space sensorsPayload
• 18 Aug 2026HEO and Planet Labs partnered to expand HEO’s non-Earth imaging network to more than 50 in-space sensorsPayload

56 facts on file.

Scores, Space (of 10)

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

Spire Global is a US operator of a multi-payload nanosatellite constellation for RF sensing (weather, AIS, ADS-B) plus a space-services model building satellites for others, having reset its balance sheet by selling its maritime business to Kpler (~$241M, 2025) and now forecasting ~50% revenue growth in 2026. Its European pivot has a humanoid-list crossover: Schaeffler (which tops the Humanoids list) and Diehl are named partners in its German manufacturing expansion. Post-divestiture revenue is estimated at 10-100m.

Latest signals

• 27 Aug 2026Estuaire used approximately 8,000 Spire Global flight tracks to build an aviation emissions-tool auditing framework.Spire Global
• 26 Aug 2026Spire Global won a $28 million NOAA contract to develop a hyperspectral microwave sounding satellite.SpaceNews
• 14 Aug 2026NOAA awarded Spire Global and PlanetiQ contracts for radio-occultation dataSpaceNews

106 signals name Spire Global.

Facts, with sources

• 26 Aug 2026NOAA contract for a hyperspectral microwave sounderSpaceNews
• 26 Aug 2026NOAA contract to develop new weather satellite instruments for the TMATE projectVia Satellite
• 26 Aug 2026NOAA contract to build and flight qualify a satellite and hyperspectral microwave sounderSpaceNews

114 facts on file.