Planet Labs
US commercial satellite operator that images the entire Earth daily for clients worldwide.
Last refreshed: 5 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Who decides when the world loses its eyes on a war?
Latest on Planet Labs
- Why has Planet Labs stopped showing satellite images of Iran?
- Planet Labs suspended imagery over Iran from 9 March 2026 at US government request, erasing 27 days of conflict documentation. The legal basis was not disclosed.Source: Iran Conflict 2026 update 59
- How many satellites does Planet Labs operate?
- Planet operates 200+ active satellites, including the PlanetScope Dove constellation (3.7m resolution, daily global) and SkySat (50cm, up to 10x daily revisit).Source: Planet Labs company data
- Can the US government force a private satellite company to hide war footage?
- Yes. Planet Labs complied with a US government request under undisclosed legal authority, suspending access to Iran imagery indefinitely.Source: Iran Conflict 2026 update 59
- Who else is monitoring the Iran war from space?
- Airbus Defence & Space also provided imagery used in early damage assessments. With Planet blacked out, independent monitoring capacity is severely reduced.Source: Iran Conflict 2026 update 21
Background
Planet Labs announced on 5 April it would withhold satellite imagery over Iran and the broader conflict zone indefinitely, at US government request. The blackout covers all imagery since 9 March, erasing 27 days of documented conflict evidence from the largest commercial archive. The legal authority cited for the restriction has not been disclosed; Planet says the blackout will last until the war ends.
Founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists in San Francisco, Planet Labs PBC operates a constellation of more than 200 active satellites, including the PlanetScope Dove CubeSats that deliver 3.7 m resolution daily global scans and the high-revisit SkySat fleet offering 50 cm imagery up to ten times per day. The company went public via SPAC in December 2021 at a .8 billion valuation and reported trailing twelve-month revenue of roughly million as of early 2026. It is the single largest provider of commercial Earth observation data.
Planet Labs had become a central instrument for independent conflict documentation: its imagery was used alongside Airbus Defence & Space data to assess strike damage at naval facilities in the early weeks of the Iran conflict. The blackout, coinciding with the simultaneous loss of IAEA inspector access, leaves no verified external record of what is happening on the ground inside Iran. Accountability organisations, arms-control researchers, and international bodies are now operating effectively blind.
