Planet Labs, a prominent commercial satellite imaging provider, announced on Friday a temporary pause in the release of images from specific Middle Eastern regions amidst an ongoing regional conflict that has entered its second week.
Known simply as Planet, the company operates a significant fleet of Earth-imaging satellites that capture daily views of global landmasses. Its client base spans think tanks, NGOs, academic institutions, media, and various commercial sectors, including agriculture, forestry, and energy. Additionally, Planet holds strategic contracts with the US military and intelligence agencies for satellite imagery services.
In a statement to Ars, Planet said, “In response to the conflict in the Middle East, Planet is implementing temporary restrictions on data access within specific areas of the affected region. Effective immediately, all new imagery collected over the Gulf States, Iraq, Kuwait, and adjacent conflict zones will be subject to a mandatory 96-hour delay before it is made available in our archive.” However, imagery from Iran will not be delayed and will remain available upon acquisition. These restrictions exclude authorized government entities that retain immediate access for crucial operations.
In recent developments, Planet’s imagery has captured the impact of Iranian missile and drone attacks on US and allied military bases, including damage reports from the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a costly US-built radar in Qatar designed for tracking projectiles. Planet has expressed its intent to prevent adversarial forces from leveraging its data for Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) purposes. Specifically, the company seeks to restrict the Iranian military's access to evaluations of their operational successes and failures.