spacetoday.net: DigitalGlobe-GeoEye merger wins antitrust approval

Posted: Thu, Jan 10, 2013, 8:43 AM ET (1343 GMT)
Commercial remote sensing companies DigitalGlobe and GeoEye announced Wednesday that their planned merger has received antitrust clearance from the US Justice Department, the last major milestone to closing the deal. The two companies announced their merger plans last year, and won approval from the companies' boards, but needed clearance from the Justice Department since they are the two major commercial satellite imagery companies in the country. The companies must still received approval from the FCC and NOAA regarding their communications and imagery licensing, but expect those to be completed and the deal to close by the end of the month. The companies agreed to merge, with DigitalGlobe effectively buying GeoEye, after the government cut back spending on commercial satellite imagery.