Space News reports that Europe’s Astrium is looking to acquire U.S. earth observation services companies. In a meeting today with reporters, Astrium Chief Executive Francois Auque outlined the target, and parent company EADS said the company’s cash reserves are more than 10 billion euros ($13 billion). EADS is looking to balance their non-Airbus revenues with other ventures. Read the full Space News feature for more details.
Astrium is feeling the pinch from competitors GeoEye and DigitalGlobe, given the $7.3 billion contract from the U.S. government. It’s hard to think of prime targets in this space that haven’t already been gobbled up by one of these two players, particularly with Astrium’s stated goals of engaging in the U.S. military space. MDA Federal may be one of the likeliest targets, given their capabilities and clients. Are there many other targets out there that simply don’t come to my mind?
