Planet Labs Beats AST SpaceMobile as Top Space Stock
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- AST SpaceMobile is building a cellular broadband network using satellites, partnering with AT&T, Verizon Communications, and Vodafone, and also earns revenue from government tactical communications contracts.
- Planet Labs operates the world’s largest fleet of Earth‑imaging satellites (over 200) and serves government, defense, intelligence, agriculture, and disaster‑response customers, planning to add analytics and AI to its historic image archive.
- AST SpaceMobile has launched six BlueBird satellites, with a seventh slated for April, and targets launching 45‑60 satellites by 2026 to deliver continuous service in the U.S., Japan, and Europe.
- AST SpaceMobile raised $3.9 billion in February, including $1 billion in convertible senior notes and direct stock offerings, and secured a $30 million contract from the U.S. Space Development Agency for the HALO Europa program.
- Planet Labs reported $308 million in revenue last year, far exceeding AST SpaceMobile’s $71 million, and is moving toward profitability.
- Planet Labs announced a March partnership with Nvidia to build a GPU‑native AI engine, turning its image‑provider service into a real‑time planetary intelligence platform.
- Planet Labs is deemed a better buy today because it is further along in commercialization, has higher revenue, and is expanding with AI, whereas AST SpaceMobile still needs to complete its satellite build‑out.
Why it matters: Investors seeking exposure to the booming $1.8 trillion space economy gain a more mature, cash‑generating option in Planet Labs, while shareholders of AST SpaceMobile face dilution and a longer timeline before commercial broadband service materializes. The contrast also highlights where capital is already flowing, with Planet Labs’ $308 million revenue versus AST’s $71 million, underscoring the immediate profitability gap.
