Satellite company suspends imagery after disclosing Iran’s attacks on US bases

Planet Labs, a major commercial satellite-imaging firm, said Friday it is pausing the release of imagery for certain parts of the Middle East as the regional conflict moves into its second week.

The company, known as Planet, runs a constellation of several hundred Earth-observing satellites intended to capture views of every landmass on the planet at least once per day. Its clients include think tanks, NGOs, academic institutions, news organizations, and commercial users in agriculture, forestry, and energy, among others.

Planet also holds profitable contracts supplying overhead imagery to the US military and US government intelligence agencies.

“In reaction to the conflict in the Middle East, Planet is imposing temporary restrictions on data access within specific areas of the affected region,” Planet said in a statement emailed to Ars. “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.”

Imagery over Iran will continue to be available immediately after acquisition, the company said. “This change applies to all users except authorized government users who maintain immediate access for mission-critical operations.”

Infographic composed of satellite photos depicting damage at a selection of four US military sites, or locations hosting US personnel, in the Middle East following Iranian strikes since February 28, 2026, using images from Planet Labs.

Credit:
Graphic by Nalini Lepetit-Chella and Sabrina Blanchard/AFP via Getty Images)/© 2026 Planet Labs/AFP

Overhead intelligence

In recent days, Planet’s satellite imagery has revealed the aftermath of Iranian missile and drone strikes on US and allied bases in the region, including damage to the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and to a $1 billion US-built early-warning radar in Qatar used to track incoming projectiles. Planet said it aims to prevent “adversarial actors” from using its data for “Battle Damage Assessment (BDA)” purposes. In short, the company does not want to assist Iran’s military in determining where it succeeded or where it failed.