DigitalGlobe appears to have won the argument with the U.S. intelligence community about whether imagery with a ground sampling distance of 30 centimeters should be available for open commercial sales.
Raising the orbit of the GeoEye-1 will reduce the maximum precision of its images but broaden its field of view.
Its unclear if GeoEye-2 would be replaced by another, less-capable system to stay within the 50-centimeter limit.
DigitalGlobe has a market capitalization of $2.1 billion based on its closing share value the previous day.
The U.S. DoJ has cleared DigitalGlobe’s proposed acquisition of rival GeoEye.
GeoEye and DigitalGlobe shareholders approved the merger of the companies.
Imaging satellite operator GeoEye of Herndon, Va., will provide an unspecified Japanese government ministry with high-resolution imagery of the island nation under a partnership arrangement with Japan Space Imaging Corp.
DigitalGlobe said the planned merger with rival GeoEye would create a company generating $1.2 billion in annual revenue and $389 million in operating income by 2016.
TOULOUSE, France — Astrium Services is counting on two Earth observation satellites in final assembly here to give it sufficient firepower in 2013 to do battle with the merged assets of U.S. satellite Earth imagery providers DigitalGlobe and GeoEye.
PARIS — Satellite Earth imagery provider GeoEye Inc. on Aug. 7 said it expects to complete negotiations with the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) within the next couple of weeks to determine the extent of cuts to GeoEye’s principal government contract.
PARIS — U.S. satellite imagery products and services provider DigitalGlobe reported July 31 double-digit increases in revenue and backlog, with both government and commercial business contributing to a record total of $101.8 million for the three months ending June 30.
PARIS — The two principal providers of commercial Earth observation satellite imagery to the U.S. government have agreed to merge in a deal that makes DigitalGlobe the buyer and GeoEye – which had tried to buy DigitalGlobe two months ago – the target, the two companies announced July 23.
PARIS — GeoEye Inc. officials said they have sufficient funds to complete construction and carry out the launch of the GeoEye-2 high-resolution imaging satellite in 2013 and continue normal operations into 2014 even if the company’s showcase contract with the U.S. government drops to zero next year.
PARIS — The GeoEye-2 commercial optical Earth observation satellite scheduled for launch in the spring of 2013 could sharpen its view to detect objects just 25 centimeters in diameter if its orbit were maintained at 500 kilometers in altitude, the satellite’s prime contractor said June 5.
PARIS — The near-term future for U.S. commercial satellite imagery companies GeoEye and DigitalGlobe until recently looked “so bright, you gotta wear shades,” as GeoEye Chief Executive Matthew M. O’Connell put it during one investor presentation.
BORDEAUX, France — Earth observation imagery and services provider DigitalGlobe on May 6 rejected a takeover bid by rival GeoEye, saying the offer was a desperate act by a company that is about to lose a big part of its U.S. government contract revenue.
PARIS — Earth observation imagery and services company GeoEye’s surprise May 4 announcement of a bid to acquire rival DigitalGlobe came after “a few months” of negotiations between the two companies on a merger and has received no response from DigitalGlobe, GeoEye Chief Executive Matthew O’Connell said.
Commercial remote sensing firm GeoEye of Dulles, Va., said April 24 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with geospatial solutions provider Rolta of Mumbai, India, to develop products and services forapr defense and homeland security customers in “high-growth global markets, beginning with India.”
ITT Exelis Geospatial Systems said April 10 that it has delivered the imaging payload for GeoEye’s GeoEye-2 optical Earth observation satellite to prime contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif.