The modern rise of commercial satellite imagery and free public resources such as Europe’s Copernicus satellite imagery has also enabled news agencies and open source intelligence researchers to provide additional transparency on conflicts around the world. But US satellite firms such as Planet Labs and Vantor have largely restricted imagery related to the ongoing Iran war after the US government raised concerns about security risks.
Such restrictions have forced journalists and researchers to rely more heavily on alternatives such as the free Copernicus satellite images and European firms that provide commercial satellite imagery. For example, the independent investigative journalism group Bellingcat released an open source tool that uses Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite imagery to map possible war damage in Iran and the Gulf region.
Similarly, The New York Times and Washington Post have relied on Copernicus satellite imagery to investigate the extent of damage to US military bases and radar installations from Iranian missile and drone strikes. Such reporting comes at a time when the Pentagon under Trump’s administration has become less willing to share information about US military casualties or damage to military assets during the war.
The 24-hour delay in the release of Copernicus satellite imagery is less onerous than US satellite firms’ restrictions and would still allow journalists and researchers to monitor the war.
But the new restriction does create additional friction in providing timely transparency around what is happening. The potentially widening war has already killed thousands of people and created a global energy shock from ongoing disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes—not to mention already costing the United States more than $37 billion, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth requesting another $70 billion.
