Planet Labs opens London office to expand UK presence

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has opened a new office in central London, adding to its existing European network, according to a press release from the company.

The office is located in Soho, near Westminster and Whitehall, and is intended to support engagement with UK government agencies including the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and NATO alliance representatives. Planet said it plans to use the location as a hub for customer events, AI and analytics partnerships, and regional hiring.

Planet's UK team currently numbers more than 30 employees spanning leadership, engineering, sales, government affairs, and marketing. The company said it plans to increase hiring in the UK, targeting talent from the space, data science, and AI sectors.

Planet already operates the Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall, which supports data downlinks from its constellation of more than 200 satellites. The company said ground stations in the UK, Germany, Iceland, and Norway are used to download nearly 50% of its data.

Will Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Planet, said in a statement: "We look forward to continuing working closely with the UK Government and the ecosystem of partners across the country to expand adoption of Earth Observation capabilities across all sectors of the economy."

UK Space Minister Liz Lloyd said Planet's decision "is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK's world-leading science and technology ecosystem."

The London office joins Planet's broader European footprint, which includes its European headquarters and a planned satellite manufacturing facility in Berlin, as well as offices in Haarlem, Ljubljana, and Graz. Europe accounts for more than 30% of Planet's global workforce.

Planet maintains existing partnerships with England's Rural Payments Agency, the devolved governments of Wales and Scotland, and industry bodies including UKspace and TechUK. Planet Labs PBC is headquartered in San Francisco.

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