UP42
UP42 is a cloud-based geospatial marketplace and processing platform, aggregating satellite imagery, aerial, elevation, and analytics from 80+ providers via API, Python SDK, and console for developers and enterprises across mining, utilities, agriculture, urban planning, and government.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What UP42 does
UP42 operates a cloud-based geospatial data marketplace and processing platform, aggregating satellite imagery, aerial data, elevation datasets, and analytics algorithms from 80+ global providers (including Maxar, Planet, Airbus, BlackSky, Pixxel, Wyvern, Umbra, NV5, and GLOBHE) behind a unified API, Python SDK, and web console. Its four core modules are Catalog (STAC-compliant archive search and ordering), Tasking (multi-AOI satellite tasking with instant price estimation and order tracking), Data Management (cloud storage with a Cloud-Native Asset Model converting assets to COG/GeoJSON), and Processing (enhancement and computer-vision detection algorithms). The platform targets geospatial solution builders, GIS professionals, developers, and enterprise teams in verticals such as mining, utilities and energy, agriculture, urban planning and engineering, infrastructure, government and defense, environmental monitoring, and oil and gas.
The business runs on a credit-based consumption model priced at 100 credits per euro, with a €100 minimum purchase, volume bonuses above one million credits, and 24-month credit expiry; enterprise customers acquiring more than five million credits engage via direct sales and multi-year contracts. Distribution is hybrid: a self-serve product-led growth motion through console.up42.com and the developer portal complemented by field sales for enterprise procurement, plus an Esri ArcGIS Marketplace channel. UP42 was founded in Berlin in 2019 as an Airbus Defence and Space subsidiary; in July 2025 it was fully acquired by Neo Space Group (NSG), a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company in Saudi Arabia, and now sits within NSG's Geospatial division alongside Taqnia ETS. The company reports 101-250 employees and has been recognized with the 2025 Developer Portal Awards for Best Developer Portal for Data Products.
UP42 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UP42
- Legal name
- UP42 GmbH
- Website
- https://up42.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- UP42 is a cloud-based geospatial marketplace and processing platform, aggregating satellite imagery, aerial, elevation, and analytics from 80+ providers via API, Python SDK, and console for developers and enterprises across mining, utilities, agriculture, urban planning, and government.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UP42 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geospatial Data Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Data & Analytics Platforms (Data Warehousing, Lakes, Streaming) (HDABAAAF), Managed Application Platforms (App PaaS & Runtime Services) (HDABAAAD)
Keywords
Where UP42 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
UP42 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Credit-based consumption: Users purchase credits to buy geospatial data (satellite imagery, aerial data, elevation data) or run processing algorithms. 100 credits equal €$1. Credits expire 24 months after allocation using first-in, first-out principle. Volume discount: 5% bonus credits for purchases of 1,000,000+ credits.
- Platform subscription plans: Account plans including Discovery (free, limited) and Professional (free with full access). Legacy Discovery plan cannot order commercial data or purchase credits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Discovery Plan (Legacy) - Free tier with limited access |
| Freemium | Monthly | Professional Plan - Free tier with full access |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Credit purchase - Standard rate |
| Usage-based | Multi-year contract | Enterprise - Large volume purchases |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
UP42 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UP42 operates a cloud-based geospatial marketplace and workflow platform that consolidates access to satellite imagery, aerial data, elevation data, and image-processing algorithms from 80+ providers through a unified console and standardized APIs. Customers browse and order archive imagery, task satellites for new acquisitions, manage STAC-compliant geospatial assets in the cloud, and run pansharpening and object-detection algorithms on imagery. The platform is sold primarily to enterprise and government customers in sectors such as mining, utilities, agriculture, urban planning, infrastructure, environmental monitoring, and defense via a credit-based consumption model.
Product overview
UP42 is a cloud-based geospatial platform offering a unified marketplace for satellite imagery and Earth observation data. The core platform comprises four main modules: Catalog (archive imagery search and ordering), Tasking (satellite tasking for new acquisitions), Data Management (cloud storage with STAC integration), and Processing (enhancement and analytics algorithms). The platform aggregates data from 80+ global geospatial providers including Maxar, Planet, Airbus, and others. Developers can access all functionality via REST API and Python SDK. The platform uses a credit-based payment system with data delivered in standardized cloud-native formats (COGs, GeoJSON) via STAC-compliant endpoints.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UP42 Platform Cloud-based geospatial platform combining four integrated modules — Catalog, Tasking, Data Management, and Processing — that enables enterprise and government customers to search satellite imagery archives, task new acquisitions, store STAC-compliant assets, and run processing algorithms, all under one contract and standardized API.
- UP42 ArcGIS Pro Add-in Add-in distributed on the Esri ArcGIS Marketplace that lets Esri ArcGIS Pro users open existing UP42 projects, download purchased data sets, view metadata, and order new data products directly within the ArcGIS Pro environment.
- UP42 Developer Tools (REST API and Python SDK) Programmatic developer toolkit providing REST API and Python SDK access to UP42 platform capabilities including catalog search, tasking orders, data management, processing jobs, and asset handling, with Bearer JWT authentication and documentation at developer.up42.com.
- UP42 Credits (Platform Currency) Platform currency used to pay for satellite imagery, tasking services, and analytics on UP42. 100 credits equal €1, with a minimum purchase of 10,000 credits (€100), 24-month expiration on a first-in/first-out basis, and a 5% volume bonus on purchases of 1,000,000+ credits.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% increase in capacity for new projects
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use UP42
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
UP42 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
UP42 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- constellrsupportingPartnership providing thermal intelligence data to see heat patterns, enabling applications in agriculture, environmental monitoring, and urban heat analysis.
- PixxelcorePartnership to make Pixxel's Firefly hyperspectral satellite imagery (6-satellite constellation, 5m resolution, 135+ spectral bands, 40km swath) available to UP42's global customer base for agriculture, climate, and forestry applications.
- NV5corePartnership expanding UP42's US and Canadian coverage through NV5's LiDAR data, enabling infrastructure and project monitoring applications.
- MaxarcorePartnership to make Maxar's very high-resolution satellite imagery and tasking products (WorldView Legion, 30cm and 50cm resolution) available on UP42 platform. UP42 customers can directly task Maxar's constellation with up to 15 revisits per day.
- PlanetcoreIntegration of Planet SkySat constellation (15 satellites) providing high resolution 50cm imagery with up to 15 revisits per day. Features harmonized data formats through STAC and scalable API ordering.
- WyverncoreFirst hyperspectral partner on UP42. Dragonette-1 hyperspectral images acquired every 2 days anywhere on globe with 5.30m resolution and 23 spectral bands.
- GeoawesomenesssupportingJoint initiative to create the EO Hub knowledge platform and conduct survey on state of Earth observation in 2024. Collaborative content and research partnership.
- Orbital InsightsupportingProcessing algorithms including aircraft detection, car detection, and truck detection available on UP42 platform.
- SpaceptsupportingProcessing algorithms including building detection, shadow detection, and tree/tree height detection available on UP42 platform.
- Airbus AgrimetricssupportingProcessing algorithms including storage tank detection and wind turbine detection available on UP42 platform.
- OroraTechsupportingPartnership facilitating geospatial data access with on-demand sensor tasking for wildfire preparedness applications.
- GLOBHEcorePartnership to make GLOBHE's drone data (9,500+ local professional drone operators in 142 countries) available through UP42. Customers can task drones and browse drone data alongside other imagery types.
- UmbrasupportingPartnership enhancing environmental, asset, and land monitoring with Umbra's SAR data capabilities.
- ImageSat International (ISI)supportingPartnership to unlock critical applications of geospatial data from EROS-C3 satellite for disaster response and environmental monitoring.
- EsricoreUP42 ArcGIS Pro Add-in available on Esri ArcGIS Marketplace. Silver Partner in Esri Partner Network (EPN). Enables users to access UP42 data sets and projects directly from within ArcGIS Pro.
- BDI NewSpace InitiativesupportingOfficial member of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) NewSpace Initiative, joining other German startups and space companies to foster innovation and economic growth through the space industry.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
UP42 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SkyWatch: SkyWatch operates a marketplace and API platform for satellite imagery and Earth observation data, directly competing with UP42's Catalog, Tasking, and developer API offering for geospatial developers and enterprise customers.
- SkyFi: SkyFi provides a self-serve satellite imagery marketplace with tasking and archive ordering, directly comparable to UP42's Catalog and Tasking products in customer experience, pricing model, and target developer/enterprise user.
Broad incumbents
- Planet Labs: Planet operates a large satellite constellation and sells imagery via its own enterprise platform while also distributing through UP42; comparable as both a Core integration partner and a broad incumbent with its own customer-facing geospatial analytics offering.
- Maxar Technologies: Maxar is a leading satellite operator and a key data provider on UP42; it also sells very high-resolution imagery directly to enterprises and governments, making it both a Flagship partner and a broader incumbent competitor with its own geospatial platform.
- Esri (ArcGIS): Esri's ArcGIS is the dominant enterprise GIS platform; UP42 integrates with it via an ArcGIS Pro Add-in, but Esri's broader geospatial platform competes for the same enterprise geospatial workflows, procurement budgets, and GIS analyst mindshare.
- Google Earth Engine: Google Earth Engine is a cloud-based geospatial analysis platform with petabyte-scale data catalogs and free research-tier access; comparable to UP42's Processing and Catalog modules and a major incumbent threat in the analytics and academic segments.
Emerging players
- Sinergise (Sentinel Hub): Sinergise operates the Sentinel Hub platform for satellite data processing, archiving, and analytics; comparable to UP42's Processing and Catalog capabilities, with a strong focus on Sentinel and open-data processing at scale.
- Pixxel: Pixxel operates a hyperspectral satellite constellation and partners with UP42 to distribute its data; comparable as both a Core integration partner on the marketplace and an emerging direct hyperspectral data competitor.
- Descartes Labs: Descartes Labs operates a geospatial data and analytics platform focused on enterprise supply chain, agriculture, and energy use cases; comparable to UP42's Processing and data management capabilities with a niche analytics focus.
- BlackSky: BlackSky operates its own satellite constellation and analytics platform with frequent-revisit imagery; it is both a data provider on UP42 and an emerging direct competitor in tasking, change detection, and analytics offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UP42 social profiles
Digital presenceUP42 compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
UP42 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UP42 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
UP42 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UP42 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UP42
What does UP42 do?
UP42 operates a cloud-based geospatial marketplace and workflow platform that consolidates access to satellite imagery, aerial data, elevation data, and image-processing algorithms from 80+ providers through a unified console and standardized APIs. Customers browse and order archive imagery, task satellites for new acquisitions, manage STAC-compliant geospatial assets in the cloud, and run pansharpening and object-detection algorithms on imagery. The platform is sold primarily to enterprise and government customers in sectors such as mining, utilities, agriculture, urban planning, infrastructure, environmental monitoring, and defense via a credit-based consumption model.
Is UP42 a public or private company?
UP42 is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was UP42 founded?
UP42 was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is UP42 based?
UP42 is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does UP42 make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Credit-based consumption is the primary driver. The others are platform subscription plans.
Who are UP42's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SkyWatch and SkyFi. Broad incumbents are Planet Labs, Maxar Technologies, Esri (ArcGIS) and Google Earth Engine. Emerging players are Sinergise (Sentinel Hub), Pixxel, Descartes Labs and BlackSky.
Does UP42 have an API?
Yes. UP42 offers a REST API and Python SDK for developers to programmatically order satellite imagery, manage data, run processing algorithms, and automate geospatial workflows. The API supports tasking orders, catalog searches, data management, processing jobs, and asset handling. Authentication uses Bearer JWT tokens. Documentation is available at developer.up42.com. Developer documentation is at developer.up42.com.
What industry is UP42 in?
UP42's product category is Geospatial Data Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAM, Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms, with a secondary code of HDABAAAF, Data & Analytics Platforms (Data Warehousing, Lakes, Streaming). Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.