NASA Extends Contract with Planet Labs for SmallSat Data

NASA is extending its contract with Planet Labs, Inc. (Planet) under the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program for access to PlanetScope and RapidEye data through September 2023. CSDA has provided Planet data to NASA scientists and U.S. federally funded researchers since 2018, and Planet was one of the companies evaluated in the original CSDA Pilot.

The End User License Agreement (EULA) between NASA and Planet enables researchers funded by U.S. federal civilian agencies and the National Science Foundation, including their contractors and grantees, to access a wide range of Planet data. This exceptionally broad access applies to roughly 300,000 eligible data users across the U.S. federal government, according to Planet. Planet’s fleet of 200 satellites constantly acquire data that enable research into the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem evolution, disaster response, and more.

CSDA is a component of NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program, and was established in 2017 to identify, evaluate, and acquire remote sensing imagery and data that support NASA’s Earth science research and application activities. To request access to Planet data, please use the CSDA Program Authorization Request Form.