Planet's Next Fleet: Pelican and Tanager
What are Planet's new satellites for, and how do they fit its shift towards satellite services?
Chapter summary
Pelican is Planet's next-generation high-resolution satellite family, replacing the ageing SkySat fleet with faster tasking, better resolution and lower latency; Tanager is a hyperspectral satellite family, built first for Carbon Mapper to detect methane and carbon dioxide super-emitters.
Key takeaways
- 1
On Setcoin's catalogue count, nine Pelicans (five launched in 2025, three in 2026) and two Tanagers are in orbit.
- 2
Pelican is the satellite Planet offers in dedicated satellite-services deals, such as its large agreement with Japan through JSAT; Tanager opens regulated methane and materials markets.
- 3
Together they move Planet from a monitoring company towards a full-spectrum provider that sells capacity, not just pictures.
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