The decision of the Council of the European Union introduced a temporary restriction in the form of a 24-hour delay in the publication of Earth remote sensing data from the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites of the Copernicus program. The specified measure applies to a defined zone in the Gulf of Oman, which covers shipping routes to the Strait of Hormuz. The restriction was implemented on the basis of an official appeal by the United States of America in connection with security risks in the region. The corresponding document from 13 July 2026 signed by the High Representative of the EU (President of the Council) Where is Callas?, but 20 the decision was finally approved in July. This step is an exception to the general policy of free and open access to Copernicus data. This regulation creates competitive obstacles for European companies, which position themselves as an independent alternative to American suppliers of space images. Previously, similar restrictions on this region were introduced by private US companies Planet and Vantor (formerly Maxar), which led to the reorientation of some customers (energy traders, insurance and shipping companies) on European operators. According to the statement of the representative of the European Commission, the implemented measures correspond to the Copernicus security policy and are implemented within the framework of the EU Space Threat Response Architecture. The decision is open-ended and does not contain a fixed review date.
Source: https://spacenews.com