Planet vs Planet Labs: Earth observation compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

Planet Labs ranks 17 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Planet ranks 92 with 65. Planet is ahead on production and leverage. Planet Labs is ahead on deployment, technology and positioning. Level on commercials, progress and firepower. Both are based in San Francisco, United States. Planet: public. Planet Labs: Public, founded 2010. Planet is named in 28 signals and Planet Labs in 32.

Planet →

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

Planet sells customer-facing satellite-data analytics through Planet AI Application, which lets users query imagery and generate time-series insights.

Space 100 · rank 92 · score 65AI Core · watchlist · score 60

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment1
Production9
Commercials8
Progress10
Technology4
Positioning7
Firepower9
Leverage8

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

Latest signals

  • Planet secured sovereign-space wins in 2026.Via Satellite
  • Planet is opening a new factory in Germany.Via Satellite
  • Planet is investing in onboard AI for space systems.Via Satellite

28 signals name Planet.

Facts, with sources

  • USD 5739121070finance.yahoo.com
  • USD 210202000sec.gov
  • USD 116052000sec.gov

12 facts on file.

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.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Planet or Planet Labs: which is ahead in space?

Planet Labs ranks 17 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Planet ranks 92 with 65. Planet is ahead on production and leverage. Planet Labs is ahead on deployment, technology and positioning. Level on commercials, progress and firepower. Both are based in San Francisco, United States. Planet: public. Planet Labs: Public, founded 2010. Planet is named in 28 signals and Planet Labs in 32.

How do Planet and Planet Labs compare?

Planet Labs ranks 17 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Planet ranks 92 with 65. Planet is ahead on production and leverage. Planet Labs is ahead on deployment, technology and positioning. Level on commercials, progress and firepower. Both are based in San Francisco, United States. Planet: public. Planet Labs: Public, founded 2010. Planet is named in 28 signals and Planet Labs in 32. 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.

Members see every signal and fact behind both companies, the live ranking, the questions the signals answer and the week explained. $99 a month, 7-day trial. What Frontier Tech Intelligence is →

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