Planet Labs launches satellites including Google's orbital AI demo
Planet Labs reported a stock jump after deploying 20 satellites on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare, which launched from Vandenberg on 1 October 2026 and carried roughly 130 payloads. Planet's 20 included 18 SuperDoves, a Tanager-2 hyperspectral craft and a demonstration satellite built around Google's custom AI processors for Alphabet's Project Suncatcher. The market reaction reflected the strategic significance of hosting Google's first orbital AI test rather than routine fleet refresh, and came amid improving financials: revenue rose to $116.05m by July 2026 while quarterly losses narrowed to -$9.35m. Next steps include in-orbit testing and investor scrutiny of commercial booking.
Planet hosted Google's first orbital AI chip test on a launched satellite
Context
Planet Labs launched satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare on 1 October 2026. The…
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