Planet Labs receives contract from Germany for satellite intelligence, important for Ukraine
The American company Planet Labs Germany, known in the world as a leading supplier of satellite images, has signed a multi-year agreement with the German government worth 240 million euros. As reported by the German publication Hard point, the contract provides for satellite monitoring services with the aim of “ensuring peace and security in Europe”. Experts believe that one of the important vectors of this order is monitoring the regions adjacent to the Ukrainian front.
As part of the agreement, Planet Labs will provide direct access to satellite data from the new Pelican orbital system, as well as provide overview images from the PlanetScope and SkySat platforms. In addition, the company will use artificial intelligence to analyze the situation on land and at sea — in particular, to improve visualization of territories and control of sea zones.
A separate condition is the use of new satellites that have already begun to be put into orbit. It is expected that Planet Labs will receive the first payments under the contract from January 2026, and the service will last for several years.
The company already has experience working with NATO — it recently received an order for the supply of satellite materials for the Alliance. Planet Labs became widely known due to the regular publication of images of the territory of Ukraine during the full-scale war, which allowed tracking the movement of troops, the effects of shelling and changes on the front line.
CEO and co-founder of the company, Will Marshall, emphasized that Planet Labs’ work model is focused on providing security through large-scale satellite monitoring. Today, the company already has more than 600 active Earth observation satellites in orbit.
Against the backdrop of restrictions on access to data from other companies — such as Maxar, which in March 2025 temporarily closed access to its images to Ukrainian users — the activity of Planet Labs can play an additional role in meeting the analytical needs of Ukraine’s allies.
