NextView Program	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
NextView Program [Abstract]
NextView Program	(2) NextView Program The U.S. government's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, or NGA, announced in March 2003 that it intended to support, through the NextView program, the continued development of the commercial satellite imagery industry. The NGA also announced that it intended to award two imagery providers with contracts to support the engineering, construction and launch of the next generation of imagery satellites. On September 30, 2004, the NGA awarded us a contract as the second provider under the NextView program and, as a result, we contracted for the construction of a new satellite, GeoEye-1. Under the NextView program, we began delivering imagery to the NGA from our IKONOS satellite in February 2007 and from our GeoEye-1 satellite in the first quarter of 2009. GeoEye-1 was launched in September 2008 and started commercial operations and obtained certification from the NGA in February 2009, at which point GeoEye-1commenced full operations. Total capitalized costs (including financing and launch insurance costs) of the GeoEye-1 satellite and related ground systems incurred were $478.3 million. Under the NextView contract, the NGA agreed to support the GeoEye-1project with a cost-share totaling approximately $237.0 million spread over the course of the project development and subject to various milestones. On March 19, 2009, the NGA had paid the Company its cost-share obligation in full. GeoEye had deferred recognition of the cost-share amounts from the NGA as revenue until GeoEye-1's in-service date in February 2009. We recognize this revenue on a straight-line basis over the expected nine-year depreciable operational life of the satellite. During each of the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, we recognized $6.0 million of deferred revenue under the NextView contract, and during each of the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, we recognized $12.1 million of deferred revenue under the NextView contract. The NextView Service Level Agreement, or SLA, provided for monthly payments of $12.5 million, subject to a maximum reduction of 10 percent based on performance metrics. Under the NextView SLA, to the extent that less than $12.5 million was paid by the NGA in any month, the shortfall was used to fund an extension of the contract. The EnhancedView SLA replaced the NextView SLA portion of the NextView program as of September 1, 2010. We recognized $37.5 million and $74.6 million of imagery revenue under the SLA during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively.

(2) NextView Program

The U.S. government's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, or NGA, announced in March 2003 that it intended to support, through the NextView program, the continued development of the commercial satellite imagery industry. The NGA also announced that it intended to award two imagery providers with contracts to support the engineering, construction and launch of the next generation of imagery satellites. On September 30, 2004, the NGA awarded us a contract as the second provider under the NextView program and, as a result, we contracted for the construction of a new satellite, GeoEye-1. Under the NextView program, we began delivering imagery to the NGA from our IKONOS satellite in February 2007 and from our GeoEye-1 satellite in the first quarter of 2009. GeoEye-1 was launched in September 2008 and started commercial operations and obtained certification from the NGA in February 2009, at which point GeoEye-1commenced full operations. Total capitalized costs (including financing and launch insurance costs) of the GeoEye-1 satellite and related ground systems incurred were $478.3 million.

Under the NextView contract, the NGA agreed to support the GeoEye-1project with a cost-share totaling approximately $237.0 million spread over the course of the project development and subject to various milestones. On March 19, 2009, the NGA had paid the Company its cost-share obligation in full. GeoEye had deferred recognition of the cost-share amounts from the NGA as revenue until GeoEye-1's in-service date in February 2009. We recognize this revenue on a straight-line basis over the expected nine-year depreciable operational life of the satellite. During each of the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, we recognized $6.0 million of deferred revenue under the NextView contract, and during each of the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, we recognized $12.1 million of deferred revenue under the NextView contract.

The NextView Service Level Agreement, or SLA, provided for monthly payments of $12.5 million, subject to a maximum reduction of 10 percent based on performance metrics. Under the NextView SLA, to the extent that less than $12.5 million was paid by the NGA in any month, the shortfall was used to fund an extension of the contract. The EnhancedView SLA replaced the NextView SLA portion of the NextView program as of September 1, 2010. We recognized $37.5 million and $74.6 million of imagery revenue under the SLA during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively.