Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) is set to report second-quarter fiscal-year 2027 earnings on September 3 after market close. Investors are closely monitoring the company's defense segment expansion and order backlog as key indicators of future revenue visibility.

Earnings Estimates and Prior Performance

Analysts project a loss of 2 cents per share for the quarter, alongside revenue estimates of $104.12 million. This follows a strong prior quarter where Planet Labs reported an EPS of negative 3 cents, beating the consensus estimate of negative 4 cents by 25%. Revenue for that period stood at $94.15 million, surpassing the consensus estimate of $89.85 million by 4.78%.

Backlog and Segment Growth

The defense and intelligence segment remains the primary growth driver, having expanded more than 65% year-over-year in the previous quarter. Investors will track updates on international contract wins and the pace of Pelican satellite deployments.

Key visibility metrics at the end of the first quarter included:

Full-year fiscal 2027 guidance remains set at revenue between $425 million and $441 million. Adjusted EBITDA guidance ranges from breakeven to $10 million, with management focusing on progress toward sustained positive free cash flow.

Technical Setup

Planet Labs shares are trading below all major moving averages, signaling a defensive technical posture. The stock trades:

• 13.8% below its 20-day SMA
• 19.6% below its 50-day SMA
• 37.7% below its 100-day SMA
• 27.3% below its 200-day SMA

A death cross occurred in August, with the 50-day SMA falling below the 200-day SMA. The MACD indicator sits below its signal line with a negative histogram, suggesting fading upside momentum.

Key Price Levels

Near-term trading levels are tight ahead of the earnings release:

• Key Resistance: $21.00 — A round-number area that may cap rebounds.
• Key Support: $19.50 — A nearby floor traders may defend.

At the time of publication, Planet Labs shares were trading 1.91% lower at $19.47.

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL) has delivered its Tanager-2 satellite and 18 SuperDove satellites of Flock 4J to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The payload is staged for the upcoming SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare mission.

Multi-constellation shipment details

The shipment comprises two distinct satellite types, reflecting Planet's dual focus on hyperspectral imaging and daily global monitoring. This marks the company's third launch this year.

Significance of the launch

According to Planet Labs, this multi-constellation shipment marks a milestone in the expansion of its hyperspectral capabilities. The arrival of Tanager-2 builds on the operational success of Planet's recent launches, while the 18 SuperDove satellites of Flock 4J are intended to bolster the daily, global PlanetScope monitoring mission.

Will Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet, stated that the growth of these constellations is a testament to the company's satellite build velocity. He noted that the 18 SuperDoves enable Planet’s daily scan mission, which underpins AI-powered broad area solutions. Marshall added that Tanager-2 is designed to double hyperspectral capacity and halve revisit times to detect methane super-emitters as part of the project with Carbon Mapper.

Technical capabilities and partnerships

Tanager features best-in-class hyperspectral VSWIR (Visible, Near Infrared and Short wave infrared) imaging capabilities. With a cutting-edge, adjustable sensitivity imaging spectroscopy payload onboard, Tanager is designed to capture imagery in 426 contiguous bands with ~5nm spectral resolution and at a 30-meter spatial resolution.

In partnership with Carbon Mapper, Planet continues to scale the fleet, with plans to build and deploy at least three additional Tanager satellites following Tanager-2. Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper, said the launch represents a major milestone in expanding constellation capacity and scaling up data-driven climate action. He noted that Carbon Mapper’s methane detection efforts have already enabled mitigation of large methane sources in diverse regions.

While the core mission of the growing Tanager constellation is to detect and mitigate methane emissions across the globe, Tanager can also support an increasing array of potential commercial applications. These include monitoring active mines, analyzing coral reef health, providing agricultural management tools, and assessing the health of water bodies. In conjunction with Tanager-1, Tanager-2 is designed to support Planet’s evolving hyperspectral data offerings, including more advanced collection modes such as glint tasking for offshore methane emissions detection and an improved collection capacity.

The 18 SuperDoves of Flock 4J will supplement PlanetScope, Planet’s flagship daily, global monitoring mission. This provides consistent global coverage across millions of square kilometers for customers in commercial enterprise, civil government, and defense and intelligence sectors.