NASA has extended its partnership with Planet, a satellite imaging company, by placing multiple orders totaling $18.5 million through 2024. This agreement is part of NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program, which allows federally funded researchers and civilian agency employees to access PlanetScope imagery for scientific use and Earth science applications.
The data provided by Planet has been instrumental in various studies on climate change, biodiversity loss, and disaster response. Researchers from over 32 different U.S. federal government agencies have benefited from this collaboration. One example is Victoria Hill, a researcher at Old Dominion University, who stated that accessing Planet data through the CSDA program has revolutionized the mapping of coastal environments. The ability to generate monthly maps of submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay has allowed researchers to discern seasonal growth patterns, providing valuable insights into nearshore ecosystems.
Planet CEO Will Marshall expressed his pride in the five years of partnership with NASA and highlighted the importance of the research conducted by the growing community in promoting better stewardship of our Earth.
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