Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has appointed Wolfgang Schmidt, former German Federal Minister for Special Affairs and Head of the Federal Chancellery, to its European Advisory Board, the company announced.

Schmidt's appointment comes as Planet Labs Germany advances plans for a satellite manufacturing facility in Berlin, which the company says will serve as its European center for advanced satellite manufacturing. Schmidt also previously oversaw Germany's federal intelligence services during his government tenure.

Will Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Planet, cited Schmidt's role in facilitating a partnership between Planet, Ukraine, and Germany as part of the rationale for the appointment. "Wolfgang's direct help facilitating our partnership with Ukraine supported by Germany, his experience leading the Germany Chancellery, and his deep expertise in European policymaking and international affairs will be invaluable particularly as we expand our manufacturing in Germany," Marshall said.

Schmidt said his government experience gave him firsthand exposure to Planet's work. "Planet's capability to deliver daily, objective insights about our changing world has made it an indispensable platform for global security as I saw first hand with their work in Ukraine whilst I was in Government," he said.

Schmidt joins an advisory board that includes Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden; Dr. Neelie Kroes, former Vice President of the European Commission; David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Minister; Oleksii Reznikov, former Ukrainian Minister of Defence; and Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Director of ETH Zurich and former Head of Science at NASA.

Planet Labs Germany GmbH operates as part of the Planet group from its European headquarters in Berlin. The parent company, Planet Labs PBC, is headquartered in San Francisco and operates what it describes as the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites.