Planet Launches First Tanager-1 (Hyperspectral Satellite) and 36 SuperDoves with SpaceX

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), a leading provider of daily Earth data and insights, announced today that its first hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1, along with 36 SuperDoves (Flock 4BE) were successfully launched into orbit during the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX, which lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday, August 16, 2024. The Planet team has successfully made contact with Tanager-1 and started its commissioning process.

Tanager-1 is made possible by the Carbon Mapper Coalition, a philanthropically-funded effort to develop and deploy satellites designed to detect and track methane and CO2 super-emitters at a level of granularity needed to support direct mitigation action. Tanager-1 combines Planet’s cutting-edge agile aerospace and smallsat bus technology with the state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer design developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

“This is an amazing all California effort! A Planet satellite carrying a JPL payload on a SpaceX rocket, from Vandenberg Air Force Base for a California charity Carbon Mapper to help the State of California! We’re proud to be a part of it,” said Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet. “Delivering innovative space-based solutions to our customers that improve environmental conditions is core to our mission. Placing cutting-edge imaging spectrometer technology in a smallsat bus platform is a remarkable achievement for this Coalition. I’m incredibly proud of our team and everyone who helped bring this satellite to life.”

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has accounted for around 30 percent of atmospheric warming since 1750. In order to slow and ultimately halt global warming, methane emissions must be slashed this decade along with a sustained program to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Future Tanager imagery will be analyzed by expert scientists at Carbon Mapper for methane and CO2 source detection and quantification, meanwhile Planet will commercialize the hyperspectral data for a variety of use cases including defense and intelligence monitoring, biodiversity assessments, mineral mapping, and water quality assessments.

“The successful launch of Tanager-1 is a testament to the power of collaboration,” said Laurie Leshin, Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Our partnership with Planet and Carbon Mapper exemplifies how we can come together to develop innovative solutions that address our most urgent climate challenges. JPL has a long history of developing advanced instruments and the imaging spectrometer onboard Tanager-1, combined with Planet's expertise, will drive impact for environmental monitoring and mitigation. We're excited to see the continued success of this coalition and are proud to be part of it.”