Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/117518
Time-sensitive GeoWorld departments such as NetLink, PeopleLink, Product News and Business News now are maintained solely at the GeoPlace.com Web site. Check there often for the latest updates as they happen. European space firm Astrium and French space agency CNES brought the SPOT 4 satellite mission to an end, marking the close of an era that saw the satellite serve for 177 months in orbit and collect more than 6.8 million images. In June 2013, CNES will begin de-orbiting SPOT 4 for a re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at some point within the next 25 years. SPOT 4, launched in March 1998, has served mainly to gather data for use in areas such as crop statistics, yield forecasts, monitoring environmental risks and precision agriculture. The satellite will get a short assignment, however, before it begins de-orbiting. From February to May 2013, the satellite will serve as an element in a mission known as "Take Five," designed to pave the way for the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 mission, which will replace the Envisat satellite. defense minister for equipment, support and technology. "Our joint approach to providing this intellectual property free to end users underpins the central role GPS plays not just in defense operations but also in wider civil applications and civil resilience." Kerri-Ann Jones, U.S. assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs, emphasized the role the agreement will play in innovation. "Our discussions on this subject have highlighted our shared interest in deepening our technical partnership and addressing complex issues together," she noted. "I am especially pleased that we have developed an approach to our technical partnership that will help our private sectors continue to innovate and develop new applications that bring benefit to the people of both countries." DigitalGlobe Wraps Up Merger with GeoEye DigitalGlobe Inc. and GeoEye Inc., two major commercial providers of imagery and geospatial solutions, completed an estimated $900 million merger, creating a new entity with a market capitalization near $2 billion. ASTRIUM SPOT 4 Satellite Ends Long Mission A Jan. 11, 2013, image from SPOT 4—the satellite's final image—shows the region of Mendoza in Argentina, including vineyards and fruit orchards in the Andean foothills. The merger, approved by both companies' boards in July 2012, underwent a good dose of federal scrutiny before final government approval in January 2013. On Sept. 21, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requested additional information, as part of a "Second Request," from the two companies. And the merger required regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The new company, led from DigitalGlobe's existing headquarters at Longmont, Colo., retains the name of DigitalGlobe and will continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol "DGI." "With a stronger financial profile, more-robust suite of services, and among the world's most advanced geospatial production and analysis capabilities, we will be even better positioned to meet customers' needs and create value for shareowners," said Jeffrey R. Tarr, president and CEO of DigitalGlobe. M A R C H 2 O 1 3 / W W W . G E O P L A C E . C O M 7