Planet Releases First Light from Pelican-12
Key Highlights
- ➤Pelican-12 first light image captured over Luanda, Angola, at approximately 589 km
- ➤Pelican-12 is Planet’s 25th satellite brought to orbit this year
- ➤Pelican-12 targets 30 cm class imagery after reaching operational altitude
- ➤Pelican-12 carries NVIDIA Jetson onboard edge compute and reduced-latency communications technology
- ➤Planet plans additional Pelican launches in 2027 to expand high-resolution capacity
Expert Statements
James Mason, Chief Space Officer at Planet
“This crisp first image tells us that Pelican-12 is healthy and performing well after launch.”
James Mason, Chief Space Officer at Planet
“Each new Pelican we launch gives us lessons for the next build. For example, the updated payload and communication systems on Pelican-12 are informed by Pelican-11, our engineering pathfinder launched in July.”
James Mason, Chief Space Officer at Planet
“With additional Pelican launches planned for 2027, we’re continuing to build out this advanced, AI-enabled constellation to keep pace with rising demand for high-resolution data.”
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about change on Earth, today released its first light image from Pelican-12, an updated second generation (Gen 2) high-resolution Pelican™ satellite, captured over Luanda, the capital city of Angola. The image was taken on October 30, 2026, from an altitude of approximately 589 km, following Pelican-12’s launch aboard SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As the spacecraft completes its instrument calibration process and approaches its final operational orbit, image quality is expected to further improve.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261104953655/en/
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