A PlanetScope image, taken on August 20, 2023, shows the smoke plumes from wildfires in Greece, outside the city of Alexandroupoli. Photo: Planet

NASA extended its blanket purchase agreement (BPA) with Planet, placing multiple orders totaling $18.5 million through 2024, Planet announced Friday. 

The BPA is part of NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program. Planet has worked with the space agency through CSDA since it was a pilot program in 2018. 

Through the program, federally funded researchers and civilian agency employees can access the archive of PlanetScope imagery for scientific use and Earth science applications. The data supports scientific researchers in over 32 different U.S. federal government agencies and has informed studies on climate change, biodiversity loss, disaster response, and more.

For example, Victoria Hill, a researcher at Old Dominion University, said that accessing Planet data through the CDSA program has “revolutionized” mapping coastal environments. “We can now generate monthly maps of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay, allowing us to discern seasonal growth patterns, rather than merely annual ones,” she said. “Planet data is unquestionably a game-changer in our ability to monitor nearshore ecosystems.”

Planet CEO Will Marshall applauded the five years of partnership. “I’m deeply proud of our collaboration with this growing community, as its research encourages better stewardship of our Earth,” he said.