Planet Leaders Talk Gov’t Applications for Geospatial Imagery at DC Event

Leaders from Earth-imaging firm Planet have detailed the potential of geospatial data from its Dove satellites to support government operations at an event in Washington, D.C., Space News reported Wednesday.

Chris Biggers, defense and intelligence analyst at Planet, said at the event that Dove-collated geospatial data could be leveraged when monitoring Russia’s air defense activities over Ukraine as well as China’s weapons development efforts.

Mark Mozena, senior director of government affairs at Planet’s federal arm, noted that the company’s Dove constellation may expand to 140. The San Francisco-based firm plans to send 20 Dove satellites using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India on Nov. 24, Mozena said.

According to the event’s headliner Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), commercial capabilities may complement imaging data from classified sources and will not serve as a replacement for existing geospatial systems run by the government.

He added that Planet’s offerings “present an opportunity in national security and intelligence to bring down the cost and increase access to geospatial data.”