Earth Observation Companies

Planet Labs

San Francisco, United States commercial

Planet Labs PBC is a leading Earth observation company operating the largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites ever deployed. Founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists, Planet provides geospatial data that enables governments, businesses, and NGOs to make more informed decisions about our changing planet. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company images the entire Earth land mass daily. Planet trades on NYSE under PL following its 2021 SPAC merger. The company employs approximately 800 people and operates facilities in California, Colorado, and internationally. Under CEO Will Marshall (co-founder), Planet has grown from a three-person startup to a publicly traded company generating over $200 million in annual revenue. ## History and Milestones Will Marshall, Robbie Schingler, and Chris Boshuizen founded Planet Labs in 2010 while working at NASA Ames Research Center. The founders believed miniaturized satellites could democratize access to Earth observation data. The company pioneered the use of CubeSats for commercial Earth imaging. Planet launched its first commercial satellites in 2013 and rapidly expanded its constellation. Through organic growth and acquisitions—including BlackBridge (RapidEye satellites), Terra Bella (Google's satellite imaging unit), and Boundless—Planet built comprehensive Earth observation capabilities. By 2017, Planet achieved its goal of imaging the entire Earth every day. This "Planet Basemap" provides consistent, current imagery for change detection and monitoring applications across industries. ## Products and Services Planet operates three satellite constellations: Dove (over 200 CubeSats providing daily global coverage), SkySat (high-resolution tasking satellites), and Pelican (next-generation high-resolution satellites). Together, these constellations provide imagery from 3-meter daily to 50-centimeter tasking resolution. Planet Archive offers access to historical imagery dating back over a decade, enabling change analysis over time. Planet Monitoring provides automated analytics and change detection for specific areas of interest. The company serves customers across agriculture (crop monitoring), government (defense and intelligence), forestry (deforestation tracking), energy (infrastructure monitoring), and finance (economic activity analysis). Planet's APIs enable integration into customer workflows and applications. ## Technology and Capabilities Planet pioneered the use of CubeSats for commercial imaging, developing standardized small satellites that can be rapidly manufactured and frequently replaced. This approach enables continuous constellation refresh with improved technology while maintaining persistent coverage. The company operates one of the world's largest collections of Earth observation data, processing petabytes of imagery daily. Planet's platform includes machine learning tools for automated analysis, change detection, and feature extraction. Planet's data infrastructure delivers imagery and analytics through APIs, integrating with customer systems and third-party platforms. The company partners with cloud providers for global data distribution and processing capabilities. ## Business and Financial Overview Planet went public through a SPAC merger in December 2021, raising approximately $500 million. The company generates revenue from data subscriptions, with annual recurring revenue exceeding $200 million. Government and defense customers represent a significant portion of revenue. Major contracts include the National Reconnaissance Office's commercial imagery agreements, defense and intelligence customer subscriptions, and commercial enterprise agreements. Planet also serves the European Space Agency and international government customers. The company has invested heavily in next-generation satellite development and data platform capabilities. Path to profitability depends on growing subscription revenue while managing satellite constellation costs and technology investments. ## Recent Developments In 2024, Planet continued expanding its satellite constellation and customer base while advancing next-generation satellite development. The company launched additional Pelican high-resolution satellites, enhancing tasking capabilities. Planet deepened government relationships, securing contract extensions and new customer wins. The company also expanded commercial applications and analytics capabilities, supporting customers across multiple industries. Development continued on Pelican, Planet's next-generation satellite platform offering sub-meter resolution. The company also invested in data processing and analytics tools to extract more value from its imagery archive. ## Market Position Planet is the largest commercial operator of Earth observation satellites by number of spacecraft. The company competes with Maxar Technologies, BlackSky, and emerging satellite imaging companies for government and commercial customers. Planet's competitive advantages include the world's only daily global imaging capability, extensive historical archive, and flexible resolution options from constellation to tasking. The company's CubeSat approach enables rapid technology refresh. Strategic priorities include growing government and commercial revenue, expanding analytics capabilities, and deploying next-generation Pelican satellites. Planet aims to make global change visible, accessible, and actionable.

Spire Global

Vienna, United States commercial

Spire Global is a space-to-cloud analytics company that collects data through its proprietary satellite constellation and provides predictive insights for maritime, aviation, and weather customers. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, Spire operates over 100 nanosatellites that track ships, aircraft, and gather atmospheric data for weather forecasting. Spire trades on NYSE under SPIR following its 2021 SPAC merger. The company employs approximately 700 people globally, with offices in San Francisco, Singapore, Luxembourg, and other locations. Under CEO Peter Platzer (co-founder), Spire provides data and analytics to government and commercial customers worldwide. ## History and Milestones Peter Platzer, Jeroen Cappaert, and Joel Spark founded Nanosatisfi (later Spire) in 2012, inspired by the potential of CubeSats for global data collection. The company initially crowdfunded its development and evolved into a venture-backed enterprise. Spire launched its first satellites in 2015 and rapidly expanded its constellation through frequent launches. By 2020, the company operated one of the largest commercial nanosatellite constellations, collecting AIS maritime data, ADS-B aviation data, and GNSS radio occultation atmospheric measurements. The company went public through a SPAC merger in 2021, providing capital for constellation expansion and product development. Spire's space-to-cloud platform has grown to serve hundreds of customers across multiple industries. ## Products and Services the former Spire Maritime business provides global vessel tracking through AIS (Automatic Identification System) data collection. The satellite-based AIS capability covers ocean areas where terrestrial systems cannot reach, providing complete global maritime domain awareness for shipping, fishing, and security applications. Spire Aviation collects ADS-B signals from aircraft globally, providing flight tracking and analytics. This data supports air traffic management, airline operations, and aviation safety applications. Spire Weather gathers GNSS radio occultation measurements that improve weather forecasting accuracy. This data, sold to meteorological agencies worldwide, helps improve forecast models by providing atmospheric profiles where traditional weather balloons cannot reach. ## Technology and Capabilities Spire operates a constellation of 3U nanosatellites (approximately 100+ active) equipped with multiple sensors. Each satellite carries AIS receivers, ADS-B receivers, and GNSS-RO payload for atmospheric measurements. The software-defined satellites can be repurposed and updated in orbit. The company's ground infrastructure processes data through a network of ground stations worldwide, delivering information to customers within minutes of collection. Spire's space-to-cloud platform provides APIs and analytics tools for customer integration. Spire has developed standardized satellite buses that can carry customer payloads for Space Services offerings. This capability enables customers to deploy their own sensors on Spire's satellites without managing space operations. ## Business and Financial Overview Spire generates approximately $100 million in annual revenue from data subscriptions across maritime, aviation, and weather segments. Weather data revenue, largely from government meteorological agencies, provides stable recurring revenue. Major customers include NOAA (weather data), the European Space Agency, maritime shipping companies, and aviation industry customers. The company has grown its customer base across all segments while maintaining strong relationships with government buyers. Path to profitability requires growing revenue while managing constellation operations costs. Spire has focused on increasing average revenue per customer and expanding into new applications and markets. ## Recent Developments In 2024, Spire continued expanding its satellite constellation and customer base. The company launched additional satellites to maintain and grow coverage while introducing new data products and analytics capabilities. Spire strengthened government relationships, securing contract renewals and new awards. The company also expanded Space Services offerings, providing satellite-as-a-service capabilities for customer payloads. Product development focused on enhanced analytics and machine learning applications for maritime domain awareness, weather prediction, and aviation insights. Spire also invested in ground infrastructure and data processing capabilities. ## Market Position Spire is a leading provider of space-based AIS data for maritime domain awareness, competing with Orbcomm, exactEarth (now Spire-owned), and other vessel tracking providers. The company's multi-mission satellite approach differentiates it from single-purpose competitors. In weather data, Spire competes with GeoOptics and traditional weather satellite operators. The company's GNSS-RO data complements existing weather observation networks. Competitive advantages include the multi-payload satellite architecture, global data collection capability, and integrated space-to-cloud platform. Strategic priorities include growing revenue across all segments while improving operational efficiency. Spire sold its commercial maritime (AIS) business to Kpler for about $241 million in a deal announced on 13 November 2024 and closed on 25 April 2025, retaining a residual US-government maritime capability; since 2025 it reports four segments: Space Reconnaissance, Aviation, Weather and Climate, and Space Services. Theresa Condor became President and CEO on 1 January 2025, with Peter Platzer moving to Executive Chairman.

MDA Space

Brampton, Canada commercial

MDA Space (TSX: MDA) is a leading Canadian space technology company with over 50 years of heritage building systems that operate in some of the most demanding environments on Earth and in space. The company is best known for developing Canadarm (Space Shuttle) and Canadarm2 (International Space Station), iconic robotic systems that placed Canada among the world's space powers. MDA's three business lines are robotics and space operations (including Canadarm3, originally built for the Lunar Gateway and since August 2026 being redirected by the Canadian Space Agency toward lunar surface logistics for Artemis), geointelligence (processing and analyzing imagery from RADARSAT and other satellite constellations), and satellite systems (manufacturing communications and Earth observation satellites). MDA is the satellite manufacturer for Telesat Lightspeed's LEO constellation and builds satellite components for SatixFy, Globalstar, and others. The company went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2021, raising $400M in its IPO, and employs more than 4,000 people across Canada, the UK and the US.

OHB SE

Bremen, Germany commercial

OHB SE is a German space technology company listed on Frankfurt Stock Exchange and headquartered in Bremen, Germany. Founded in 1981, OHB is Europe's third-largest space company by revenue, operating through subsidiaries including OHB System AG (satellite manufacturing), MT Aerospace (structural components and solid rocket motors), Rocket Factory Augsburg (small launch vehicle development), and OHB Italia. The company has built satellites for the Galileo navigation constellation (25+ spacecraft), the SARah synthetic aperture radar reconnaissance constellation for Germany's Bundeswehr, and medium-Earth-orbit science satellites. OHB employs about 3,800 people (end of 2025) across Germany and Italy. The company's diversified structure spans from satellite manufacturing through propulsion components, and its Rocket Factory Augsburg subsidiary is developing the RFA ONE small launch vehicle.

York Space Systems

Denver, United States commercial

York Space Systems listed on the New York Stock Exchange as YSS on 30 January 2026, selling 18.5 million shares at $34; in 2026 it acquired ATLAS Space Operations, Orbion and ALL.SPACE, and in August cut its full-year revenue guidance to $375–405 million. York Space Systems is a leading small satellite manufacturer delivering integrated defense technology solutions for the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Founded to transform space access speed and economics, York provides spacecraft production, payload integration, launch services, and autonomous mission operations. York manufactures the S-CLASS, LX-CLASS, and M-CLASS satellite platforms supporting missions from ISR and remote sensing to communications and proximity operations. The S-CLASS is a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft designed for mass manufacture and constellation deployment, meeting stringent defense mission requirements. In August 2024, the Space Development Agency awarded York a contract to develop 10 satellites for Tranche 2 Transport Layer Gamma, launching in 2027 to enhance Joint All Domain Command and Control capabilities. York previously delivered nine satellites for Tranche 0 and is manufacturing 42 satellites for Tranche 1, 12 experimental T1DES satellites, and 62 Tranche 2 Alpha satellites under a $617 million contract. In December 2024, York completed System Requirements Review for 10 Tranche 2 Gamma satellites and Critical Design Review for 62 Tranche 2 Alpha satellites within a three-week period, demonstrating rapid program execution. York completed construction of a new manufacturing facility doubling production capacity to more than 1,000 satellites annually. The Denver-based company continues expanding defense satellite manufacturing to support the nation's proliferated space architecture.

BlackSky

Herndon, United States commercial

BlackSky is a real-time space-based intelligence company operating one of the most advanced commercial Earth observation systems, combining the Spectra AI-powered analytics platform with a proprietary constellation of high-resolution imaging satellites. The company specializes in delivering timely, actionable intelligence for government defense and intelligence agencies, commercial enterprises, and international customers requiring persistent monitoring capabilities. BlackSky's Gen-3 satellites feature industry-leading 35-centimeter resolution imaging with multispectral capabilities including shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensors that penetrate clouds, smoke, and haze. The constellation achieved commercial Earth observation industry firsts in 2025, delivering very high-resolution imagery within five days of launch and AI-enabled analytics within three weeks. Each satellite achieves NIIRS-5+ image quality while enabling rapid revisit rates for time-sensitive intelligence requirements. The Spectra platform leverages artificial intelligence for automatic detection, identification, and classification of vehicles, aircraft, vessels, and other objects of tactical interest with industry-leading precision. This AI-enabled automation transforms satellite imagery into structured intelligence products at machine speed, enabling customers to monitor critical infrastructure, track economic activity, and assess military capabilities globally. BlackSky announced the AROS satellite constellation to complement Gen-3 with multispectral, wide-area imaging satellites enabling rapid digital mapping, maritime surveillance, and 3D digital twin applications at scale. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded BlackSky significant contracts for AI-based analytics supporting economic, military, and environmental monitoring missions. With Q1 2025 revenue reaching $29.5 million (up 22% year-over-year) and multi-year contracts including a $20 million India partnership, BlackSky continues expanding its real-time intelligence capabilities to meet growing global demand for space-based surveillance and analytics.

Satellogic

Davidson, United States commercial

Satellogic is an Earth observation company building a 200+ satellite constellation to provide affordable, high-resolution geospatial imagery enabling weekly remapping of the entire planet. Founded in Argentina and now headquartered in Delaware as a U.S. company, Satellogic operated 19 NewSat satellites at the end of 2025, 18 of them in service. Each Satellogic commercial satellite carries two payloads: a high-resolution multispectral imager delivering sub-meter imagery and a hyperspectral camera capturing 29 wavebands at 25-30 meter resolution across visible to near-infrared spectrum. This dual-payload architecture enables both detailed visual analysis and spectral signature detection for agriculture, forestry, mining, and environmental monitoring applications. In 2024, Satellogic continued constellation expansion with multiple launches: NewSat-46 (TSAT-1A) in April built by India's Tata Advanced Systems Limited, NewSat-44 (Maria Mitchell) on SpaceX Transporter-10 in March, and three satellites including NewSat-48, NewSat-49, and NewSat-50 in August on SpaceX Transporter-11 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. In December 2024, Satellogic signed a strategic partnership with Maxar Intelligence to bring Satellogic data to the U.S. government defense and intelligence market and international allied nations. The company announced a Global Consortium of Geospatial Imagery initiative to expand data access. Satellogic officially redomiciled to Delaware in 2025, becoming a U.S. company while maintaining its heritage of innovative, cost-effective satellite design. The constellation continues growing toward the goal of providing frequent, affordable Earth observation for daily decision-making worldwide.

Sidus Space

Cape Canaveral, United States commercial

Sidus Space, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida (adjacent to Kennedy Space Center), is a publicly traded small satellite manufacturer and space services company that designs and builds multi-sensor satellite platforms for Earth observation and IoT applications, while also offering satellite launch integration, space-related hardware manufacturing, and commercial space services under a vertically integrated model. Sidus Space's LizzieSat platform is a multi-sensor small satellite bus (approximately 40 kg) designed to host multiple Earth observation payloads simultaneously — combining optical imagers, hyperspectral sensors, weather monitoring instruments, and IoT communication payloads on a single bus to maximize data collection per mission dollar. LizzieSat-1 launched to the International Space Station in January 2023 for deployment from the ISS airlock, providing early on-orbit validation of the platform's sensors and bus systems. The multi-sensor approach differentiates Sidus from single-payload small satellite operators, though it adds complexity compared to simpler bus designs. Sidus Space's Cape Canaveral location provides geographic proximity to launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and KSC, enabling direct integration support for customer launches and facilitating hardware manufacturing close to launch integration buildings. The company has developed relationships with launch vehicle operators and launch integrators working through the local space industrial cluster. Sidus Space completed an IPO on NASDAQ (ticker: SIDU) in 2021, raising capital to fund satellite development and manufacturing capacity expansion. As a microcap public company, Sidus faces the challenge of competing against well-funded private EO operators (Planet Labs, Satellogic, Umbra) while maintaining public reporting requirements. The company competes with Terran Orbital (Lockheed-backed), General Atomics EMS, and commercial bus manufacturers in the government and commercial small satellite market.

HawkEye 360

Herndon, United States commercial

HawkEye 360 listed on the New York Stock Exchange as HAWK on 7 May 2026, raising about $437.5 million net at $26 a share. HawkEye 360 is a geospatial analytics company operating the world's first commercial constellation for radio frequency signal detection and geolocation from space. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, HawkEye 360 provides RF intelligence for maritime domain awareness, spectrum management, emergency response, and national security applications. In 2024, HawkEye 360 significantly expanded its constellation with multiple satellite cluster launches. Clusters 8 and 9 launched on SpaceX Bandwagon-1 in April 2024, followed by Cluster 10 in August 2024 bringing the constellation to 30 RF geolocation microsatellites, and Cluster 11 in December 2024. The company aims to operate 36 satellites across 12 clusters, with each cluster containing three satellites working together to trilaterate RF signals. Each HawkEye satellite features software-defined radios capable of detecting a wide range of radio frequencies simultaneously. When all three satellites in a cluster detect a common signal, they trilaterate its location with high accuracy. This capability enables detection and tracking of vessels with AIS transponders disabled, emergency beacon localization for search and rescue, and spectrum management analysis. HawkEye 360 acquired Maxar Intelligence's RF Solutions business in December 2023, expanding spectrum scanning capabilities. The company provides RF data to government and commercial customers for maritime situational awareness, illegal fishing detection, sanctions enforcement, and defense intelligence applications. HawkEye 360 continues expanding constellation capacity to meet growing demand for space-based RF geolocation services.