Planet Labs Prepares to Launch Tanager-1 Hyperspectral Satellite

Planet Labs Prepares to Launch Tanager-1 Hyperspectral Satellite
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2024

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), a provider of daily Earth data and insights, announced that its first hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1, is ready for launch. Supported by the Carbon Mapper Coalition and its philanthropic partners, the spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 3rd. It is set to launch as early as July aboard the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. Tanager-1 will enhance Planet's imaging capabilities in the spectral domain, complementing existing imaging from the PlanetScope, SkySat, and Pelican missions.

After on-orbit commissioning, Tanager-1 will provide hyperspectral data for both the continued partnership with Carbon Mapper and Planet"s broader commercial mission. The Carbon Mapper satellite program enabled Planet to combine its aerospace and smallsat bus technology with NASA"s Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) imaging spectrometer design. This collaboration aims to provide data for sustainability use cases such as monitoring greenhouse gas emissions.

"This important collaboration with Planet and Carbon Mapper is an innovative way to confront Earth"s most urgent climate challenges head-on," said Laurie Leshin, Director of NASA JPL. "Our imaging spectrometer technology and expertise, leveraged and deployed on Tanager-1, will enable a broad range of stakeholders to pinpoint methane super-emitters and take action to mitigate them. The work of the Carbon Mapper Coalition will truly have a global impact, and we are proud to take part in ensuring mission success."

Future Tanager imagery will be analyzed by Carbon Mapper scientists to identify methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) super-emitters globally. Planet plans to provide commercial hyperspectral data for various uses, including emissions monitoring, biodiversity assessments, vegetation analysis, minerals mapping, and water contaminant assessments.

"I"m thrilled that Tanager has arrived at the launch site. This will provide hyperspectral data that will enable myriad applications from sustainability to security, and complement the data from existing Planet satellite fleets," said Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet. "I am very proud to be a part of this unique public-private partnership with NASA JPL and Carbon Mapper."

Planet"s hyperspectral constellation is designed to provide imagery with continuous spectral information across the visible and shortwave infrared (VSWIR) regions. Tanager"s imaging spectrometer leverages JPL"s expertise in imaging spectrometer design, based on decades of airborne and spaceborne sensors like the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT). The Tanager-1 imaging spectrometer is the most complex optical system ever launched by Planet, and its delivery to the launch site showcases new capabilities, expertise, and testing acumen at Planet.

The integrated Tanager-1 spacecraft recently completed rigorous ground tests to ensure it can withstand the harsh environments of launch and orbit. Pelican-1, launched last year, shares the same smallsat bus platform with Tanager-1. These tests have validated Planet"s agile aerospace approach for more complex spacecraft using the next-generation smallsat bus.

"Shipping the first Tanager satellite is an enormous step in realizing the vision of our unique public-private partnership with Carbon Mapper and NASA JPL," said Mark Keremedjiev, Tanager Mission Director at Planet. "This milestone in our program is a shared achievement across a wide range of contributors and I am exceptionally proud of the team that has brought us to this point. I am excited to see the data our system will produce on-orbit and look forward to tackling the host of challenges spaceborne hyperspectral remote sensing is suited to address."

In addition to Tanager-1, Planet will launch 35 SuperDoves to support its daily, global monitoring mission. PlanetScope data is used by customers in defense, intelligence, civil government, and commercial markets for informed decision-making and event contextualization. Planet"s daily scans and data archive provide a continuous view of Earth, serving as a training ground for predictive machine-learning and advanced AI models, which enhance users' ability to draw insights from the collected data.

Planet is committed to delivering top-tier data and services to its customers. The launch of Tanager-1 furthers the company"s mission of making change visible, accessible, and actionable.