Planet Labs vs Synspective: Earth observation compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

Planet Labs ranks 17 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Synspective ranks 95 with 64. Planet Labs is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress, technology, positioning and firepower. Level on leverage. Planet Labs is based in San Francisco, United States, Synspective in Tokyo, Japan. Planet Labs: Public, founded 2010. Synspective: Public. Planet Labs is named in 32 signals and Synspective in 51.

Planet Labs →

San Francisco, California, United States · Space · Satellites & spacecraft / Earth observation · Public · founded 2010 · www.planet.com

Planet operates Earth-observation satellite constellations, including SkySat, Pelican and Flock imaging satellites, and sells the resulting imagery and data.

Space 100 · rank 17 · score 82

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment8
Production8
Commercials8
Progress10
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower9
Leverage6

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

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

32 signals name Planet Labs.

Facts, with sources

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

56 facts on file.

Synspective →

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan · Space · Satellites & spacecraft / Earth observation · Public · synspective.com

Synspective builds and operates the StriX constellation of small synthetic-aperture radar satellites, supplying satellite imagery for rapid disaster assessment and other Earth-observation use cases.

Space 100 · rank 95 · score 64

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment7
Production6
Commercials5
Progress9
Technology6
Positioning6
Firepower6
Leverage6

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

Positioning

Synspective is a Japanese SAR operator (TSE:290A) building the StriX constellation toward 11 satellites in 2026 (30 planned), with gen-3 satellites (30 images a day) from 2026. Its model is Japan-defense-dependent, with a plan calling for ~80% Japanese MoD revenue in 2026, and it carries the highest satellite cost basis among SAR peers (versus ICEYE's ~$2M), a margin-pressure flag. Revenue is <25m class (verified-light; a dedicated filings pass owed).

Latest signals

  • QPS Research Institute and Synspective began joint research with Japan’s NILIM on fire-damage detection using small SAR satellites.SPACE CONNECT
  • Synspective selected for UNDP Japan SDGs Innovation Challenge to demonstrate satellite and AI coastal monitoring in JamaicaSPACE CONNECT
  • Synspective selected for UNDP’s Japan SDGs Innovation Challenge to demonstrate satellite and AI coastal monitoring in JamaicaSPACE CONNECT

51 signals name Synspective.

Facts, with sources

  • Four commercial reseller partnerships added in South AmericaSynspective
  • Launch schedule announced for the 11th StriX SAR satelliteSynspective
  • 11th StriX SAR satellite reached its target orbitSynspective

48 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Planet Labs or Synspective: which is ahead in space?

Planet Labs ranks 17 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Synspective ranks 95 with 64. Planet Labs is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress, technology, positioning and firepower. Level on leverage. Planet Labs is based in San Francisco, United States, Synspective in Tokyo, Japan. Planet Labs: Public, founded 2010. Synspective: Public. Planet Labs is named in 32 signals and Synspective in 51.

How do Planet Labs and Synspective compare?

Planet Labs ranks 17 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Synspective ranks 95 with 64. Planet Labs is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress, technology, positioning and firepower. Level on leverage. Planet Labs is based in San Francisco, United States, Synspective in Tokyo, Japan. Planet Labs: Public, founded 2010. Synspective: Public. Planet Labs is named in 32 signals and Synspective in 51. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

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