Planet Labs opens satellite manufacturing facility in Berlin

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has opened a satellite manufacturing facility in Berlin's Mitte district, with German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche attending the opening.

The 5,700-square-meter facility completed its cleanroom fit-out and is scheduled to begin production of Pelican satellites this autumn. The Pelican is a 300 kg class satellite with 30-cm resolution. The first satellite is expected to be completed before the end of the year, with the facility capable of producing up to 60 satellites annually.

The first Berlin-built satellites are scheduled to launch on an Isar Aerospace Spectrum launch vehicle in early 2027.

Planet plans to add 70 employees to its existing Berlin team of nearly 150. The facility will also house mission operations, IT, legal, marketing, HR, and sales functions alongside satellite production and testing.

"Today I'm thrilled to give a first look at Planet's world-class manufacturing center and the future of Planet in Berlin, Germany, and Europe," said Will Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Planet. "Planet has built and successfully launched 688 satellites in 15 years, second in the world in total satellites – and we're bringing that manufacturing prowess here."

Planet said it was previously awarded a German-funded contract to deliver dedicated satellite capacity within two months of contract signature, and delivered a sovereign satellite to Sweden within four months. The company's existing Berlin operations include a mission operations center, software development, and imagery processing. Berlin has served as Planet's European base for over 10 years.

Planet's ground station network across Germany, the UK, Norway, and Iceland downlinks nearly 50% of all satellite data globally. More than 30% of Planet's global workforce is based in Europe, with offices in Berlin, Haarlem, Ljubljana, Graz, and London.

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