Pelican / eo constellation
sourcingtypical 4/5 · 13 factsPelican is a commercial Earth observation satellite constellation developed by Planet Labs (USA) as the successor to the SkySat system. Its mission is to provide very high-resolution optical imagery with significantly improved revisit rates compared to earlier commercial constellations, supporting applications such as agriculture, forestry, urban planning and emergency management. Each satellite carries the Pelican Imager, a pushbroom radiometer operating across five spectral bands in the visible to near-infrared range, and the constellation is planned to replace and expand upon Planet's existing fleet of 19 SkySat satellites in orbit.
key specs
faq
Who operates Pelican?
Pelican is operated by Planet. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
How many Pelican satellites are active on orbit?
CelesTrak's catalog currently tracks 8 objects for Pelican. (source, as of 2026-07-11)
When did Pelican first launch?
Pelican first launched on 2023-11-11. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
facts
sats active (verified) counts objects currently tracked in CelesTrak's catalog for this constellation. It is a tracking count, not an operator claim about satellite health.
orbit
events
- noise2026-07-07Planet launches Pelican-11 tech demo satellite on Transporter-17
- notable2026-07-06Planet Labs adds Wolfgang Schmidt, ex-German Chancellery head, to European board
- notable2026-07-02Isar Aerospace to launch Planet's first German-built satellite mission
- noise2026-06-05Planet Labs sets up $1.5 billion at-the-market equity offering program
sources
Includes data from Gunter's Space Page: doc_sdat/pelican.htm