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Planet Labs
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Planet Labs

US commercial satellite operator that images the entire Earth daily for clients worldwide.

Planet Labs has withheld all satellite imagery over Iran since 9 March 2026, a blackout announced on 5 April at US government request that remains in force, leaving no independent commercial record of the war.

Last refreshed: 19 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Who decides when the world loses its eyes on a war?

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Background

Planet Labs PBC, founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists in San Francisco, operates a constellation of more than 200 active satellites, including the PlanetScope Dove CubeSats that deliver daily global scans at 3.7m resolution and the high-revisit SkySat fleet offering 50cm imagery up to ten times a day. It is the largest commercial provider of Earth observation data and went public via SPAC in December 2021.

On 5 April 2026 the company announced it would withhold satellite imagery over Iran and the broader conflict zone indefinitely, at US government request, applying the restriction retroactively to 9 March and erasing 27 days of documented conflict evidence from the largest commercial archive. The legal authority cited has not been disclosed, and Planet says the blackout will last until the war ends; it remains in force.

Before the blackout, Planet Labs imagery had been a central instrument for independent conflict documentation, used alongside Airbus Defence & Space data to assess strike damage at naval facilities in the war's early weeks. With the blackout coinciding with the loss of IAEA inspector access, no verified external commercial imagery record now exists of what is happening on the ground inside Iran, and any claim of recent Planet Labs Iran coverage should be treated as unsupported.

Common Questions
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
Is the Planet Labs satellite blackout over Iran still in effect?
Yes. Planet Labs has withheld all commercial satellite imagery over Iran since 9 March 2026 at US government request. The company says the blackout will remain in place until the war ends; no end date has been set.Source: Lowdown
Why can't independent observers verify strike damage in Iran in 2026?
Planet Labs, the largest commercial satellite imagery provider, has withheld all Iran coverage since 9 March 2026 under an undisclosed US government order. Combined with lost IAEA inspector access, this leaves no independently verified record of strikes inside the country.Source: Lowdown