After commercial satellite photos revealed Israeli troops moving in the Gaza Strip, U.S. officials said they won’t require space-imagery companies to change what they release to the public—but some firms appear to be slowing the distribution of photos typically provided to news outlets. Last year, open-source imagery helped disprove false Russian claims about its invasion of Ukraine. But the escalating war in Israel is raising fresh questions about what happens when satellites train their cameras on U.S. allies at war.
Companies like Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies have allowed news agencies to track Israel’s ground assault in Gaza and detail the destruction from airstrikes the Israeli military launched in response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Oct. 7. U.S. regulation of space imagery is overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is “not considering additional restrictions and constantly monitors licensees for compliance with the conditions of their licenses,” said NOAA spokesperson Scott Smullen.
But reports have surfaced that since Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza, Planet has restricted and obscured parts of images of Gaza for users and delayed the release of certain images. A Planet spokesperson said the company continues to make images of Gaza available to clients, citing data recently featured in Washington Post and NBC articles. Maxar releases satellite images of Ukraine at 30-cm resolution, clear enough to make out small features on the ground.
The Israel-Hamas war is different from the conflict in Ukraine “because the imagery has the potential to reveal things our ally may not want the public to see, such as troop movements and the specific location of strikes,” said Todd Harrison, a longtime defense analyst who is the managing director of Metrea Strategic Insights. Instead of invoking shutter control, Harrison said that the government has previously used contracts to buy up imagery they want to remain hidden.
However, Maxar officials say the company is the “primary decision maker” about whether and when it will release an image to the public, said Maxar Intelligence spokesperson Brian Wagner. Wagner added that the company abides by U.S. commercial license regulations. Planet also gives away some photos to news outlets. The company said that its imagery and services can serve as a “powerful tool” for increasing peace and security.
Harrison said these and other sources of aerial imagery give an unprecedented real time understanding of battlefield events. He added that the expansion of commercial space remote sensing is making war more transparent for the world and is changing how military operations are conducted.
