Until 2019, Basic Education & Research Program users did not have a specific end date and were therefore valid as long as their users had access to their organizational email address.

The program has updated to a fixed term of two years, after which account access will expire.

If your university affiliation is still active, you can request an extension by following the steps below.

Note: Not all institutions are eligible to participate in the program. See What Are the Restrictions for Basic Education & Research Program? for eligibility details.

Before you request an extension: self-service checklist

Many access issues come from one of the situations below. Run through these before opening a ticket — you may not need an extension at all.

• You missed your activation invitation. The E&R activation email expires 14 days after it is sent. If you signed up but never activated, see I Haven't Received My Education & Research Approval or Invitation Yet for how to request a new invitation. This is not the same as an extension.
• Your account shows "AuthenticationError: user is blocked (unauthorized)". A blocked account is usually a separate compliance or verification issue, not an expired plan. Open a ticket with the subject "Account blocked" and include your account email and full legal name; the support team can investigate independently of the E&R extension flow.
• Your dashboard shows "No active products" or "error loading plans" but you only registered recently. New E&R applications are typically reviewed within 5–10 business days. If it has been longer than that, your application may have stalled rather than expired — mention your application date when you reach out.
• You can log in but the Orders API returns "no access to assets".  This usually means the images you are ordering are less than 30 days old.  The program has a 30-day delay on imagery, so this is expected.
• Your downloads worked yesterday but not today. Check whether the plan expired (visible on your Account page). If it has expired, request an extension as below.

How to request an extension

1. Confirm the account expired (visible under "All Plans" on the Account page).
2. Confirm the university affiliation is still active.
3. Open a ticket via Planet Support with the subject "Education & Research extension request".
4. Include the information in the next section so the E&R team can action the request without follow-up questions.

What to include in your extension request

• Account email (the institutional address tied to the E&R account).
• Full name and institution.
• Brief description of the current research project and how Planet data supports it. One paragraph is enough — the E&R program looks for active academic use, not a full proposal.
• Confirmation that the work is non-commercial (E&R Basic is restricted to non-commercial research and teaching).
• Citation of any peer-reviewed publications, conference papers, or theses that have used Planet data in the work, if applicable.

What happens after you request an extension

The E&R team typically reviews extension requests within 5–10 business days. If approved, the account is reactivated for another two-year term. If the program is unable to renew the specific account, the response will explain why and (where possible) point to alternatives such as our Monitoring Plans or institutional/campus licensing through the university.

Related resources

• I Haven't Received My Education & Research Approval or Invitation Yet
• What Are the Restrictions for Basic Education & Research Program?
• What Data and Services Does the Education & Research Basic Program Provide Access To?
• What is the Typical Timeline & Eligibility for Getting Enrolled Under Basic Education and Research Program?
• Why Are My Education and Research Orders Failing?