BREAKING: The Roddenberry Foundation Has Teamed Up With Planet Labs To Send a Star Trek Tribute Into Orbit

Rod Roddenberry's foundation is teaming with Planet Labs to send satellites into space.

DECEMBER 15, 2022 - A few weeks ago I interviewed Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek’s creator, about why he began The Roddenberry Foundation and some of the good works the organization does. Today a new project has been announced, sponsored by the Foundation and an organization called Planet Labs.

Planet Labs, according to the press release, “is the leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions.” Broken down, that means that Planet uses their fleet of satellites, in orbit of Earth, to drive positive global change. Users can access Planet’s software, tools, and analytics to use imagery of the planet to watch what is happening to the global environment and transform their observations into positive change.

Now, with the support of The Roddenberry Foundation, they are launching a new fleet of SuperDove satellites desaigned to commemorate Star Trek and its legacy. The satellites will be launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and, once in orbit, they’ll continue the work of Planet’s other satellites, taking high-res images.

But what makes this new flock of satellites of special interest is that many of them “will be adorned with artwork and quotes that celebrate the legacy of hope and inclusiveness of Star Trek and its creator, Gene Roddenberry.”

Planet Labs’ CEO, Will Marshall, explained, "Launches are always a special milestone for Planet, but this one particularly so. Through Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry inspired the world to  look to the stars in wonder and hopeful curiosity. In a similar vein, we at Planet look to space to help life here on Earth and are honored to partner with The Roddenberry Foundation to use space to help celebrate his legacy.”

Rod Roddenberry added, "Star Trek showed us a future where diverse peoples come together across differences to work for the common good. We are thrilled to celebrate that vision with Planet by taking the Boldly Go campaign to space, the final frontier."

You’ll be able to live-stream the launch, which is said to be set for later this year, with the date and time details forthcoming. (They’d better hurry; the year is almost over!) DSTN will bring you the latest news on the launch, but in the meantime, you can follow the Planet Labs and Roddenberry Foundation Twitter feeds for up-to-the-minute updates.