Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2013
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation	*Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation* The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of DigitalGlobe and its wholly owned subsidiaries. The accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 included herein have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and other financial information filed with the SEC. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments that are necessary for a fair presentation of the accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been included. Operating results for the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013 or for any future period. The December 31, 2012 condensed consolidated balance sheet was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required in the annual financial statements by U.S. GAAP. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates	*Use of Estimates* The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. However, due to the inherent uncertainties in making estimates, actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Comprehensive Income	*Comprehensive Income* For the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, there were no material differences between net income and comprehensive income.
Accounting for Business Acquisitions	*Accounting for Business Acquisitions* The fair value of the net assets and the results of operations of the acquired businesses are included in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements from the acquisition date forward. The Company is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and results of operations during the reporting period. Estimates are used in accounting for, among other things, the fair value of acquired net operating assets, property and equipment, deferred revenue, intangible assets and related deferred tax liabilities, useful lives of plant and equipment, and amortizable lives for acquired intangible assets. Any excess of the purchase consideration over the identified fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired is recognized as goodwill. The Company estimated the preliminary fair value of acquired assets and liabilities as of the date of acquisition based on information available at that time. The Company has not yet completed its evaluation of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities in connection with the GeoEye acquisition. The valuation of these tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities is subject to further management review and may change materially between the preliminary allocation presented herein and the end of the purchase price allocation period, which is no later than January 31, 2014, with respect to the acquisition of GeoEye. Any changes in these estimates may have a material impact on the Company’s Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Results of Operations or Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Goodwill, Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets	*Goodwill, Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets* Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired. The Company evaluates goodwill as a single reporting unit for impairment on an annual basis. During the three months ended June 30, 2013, the Company changed its annual impairment testing date from December 31 to October 1. The Company believes this new date is preferable as it provides additional time prior to the Company’s year-end closing and financial auditing process to complete the goodwill impairment testing and report the results in its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company also evaluates goodwill for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable from its estimated future cash flows. Recoverability of goodwill is measured at the reporting unit level by either performing a qualitative assessment in certain circumstances or by comparing the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill, to the fair value of the reporting unit, which is measured based upon, among other factors, a discounted cash flow analysis. If the recorded value of the assets, including goodwill, and net of liabilities of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss may be required to be recognized. Further, to the extent the net book value of the Company as a whole is greater than its market capitalization, all, or a significant portion of its goodwill may be considered impaired. There were no impairments of goodwill during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 or 2012. Intangible assets (identified as technology, customer list, trademarks, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) licenses and other) are recorded at fair value at the time of acquisition. Finite-lived intangibles are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. Amortization is recorded using the straight-line method, which approximates the expected pattern of economic benefit, over the estimated lives of the assets. The Company reviews the carrying value of its long-lived tangible and finite-lived intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset group may not be recoverable. Factors that would require an impairment assessment include, among other things, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, a significant adverse change in the operations of the Company’s satellites, a change in government spending or customer demand that could affect the value of the asset group, a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset group or a significant decline in the Company’s stock price. All of the Company’s long-lived tangible and finite-lived intangible assets, including its satellites and ground terminals, comprise a single asset group and its impairment testing is performed at the DigitalGlobe entity level as separately identifiable cash flows attributable to any given satellite cannot be derived. The Company’s impairment analysis includes anticipated future cash flows from its satellite constellation as well as costs necessary to complete the construction of its satellites. Recoverability of long-lived assets is measured by comparing their carrying amount to the projected cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment loss recognized, if any, is the amount by which the carrying amount of the property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets exceeds fair value. There were no impairments of long-lived assets during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 or 2012.
Revenue Recognition	*Revenue Recognition* DigitalGlobe’s principal source of revenue is the licensing of earth imagery products and services for end users and resellers. Revenue is recognized when the following criteria have been met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the fee is fixed or determinable and the collection of funds is reasonably assured. The Company’s revenue is generated from: (i) sales of or royalties arising from licenses of imagery; and (ii) subscription services and other service arrangements. Sales of Licenses. Revenue from sales of imagery licenses is recognized when the images are physically delivered to the customer or, in the case of electronic delivery, when the customer is able to directly download the image from the Company’s system. In some customer arrangements, certain acceptance provisions must be satisfied. For these arrangements, revenue is recognized upon acceptance by these customers. Revenue is recognized net of contractually agreed discounts. Royalties. Revenue from royalties is based on agreements or licenses with third parties that allow the third party to incorporate the Company’s product into their value added product for commercial distribution. Revenue from these royalty arrangements is recorded in the period earned or on a systematic basis over the term of the license agreement. For those royalties that are due to third parties based on the Company’s revenue sharing arrangements, royalty revenue is reported on a net basis. Subscriptions. DigitalGlobe sells online subscriptions to its products. These arrangements allow customers access to the Company’s hosted products via the internet for a set period of time and a fixed fee. Subscription payments received in advance are recorded as deferred revenue and are generally recognized ratably over the subscription period. Revenue is recognized net of discounts. Service Level Agreements (“SLA”). The Company recognizes service level agreement revenue net of any allowances resulting from failure to meet certain stated monthly performance metrics. Revenue is either recognized ratably over time for a defined and fixed level of service or based on proportional performance when the level of service changes based on certain criteria stated in the agreement. Multiple Deliverable Arrangements. DigitalGlobe enters into revenue arrangements that may consist of multiple deliverables of its product and service offerings based on the needs of its customers. These arrangements may include products or services delivered at the onset of the agreement, as well as products or services that are delivered over multiple reporting periods. The revenue for the majority of the Company’s multiple deliverable arrangements are recognized in accordance with the provisions under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2009-13, “Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements” and ASU 2009-14 “Certain Revenue Arrangements That Include Software Elements” which were each prospectively adopted as of January 1, 2011. The Company’s EnhancedView contract (the “EnhancedView Contract”) with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (“NGA”) and four of the Company’s Direct Access Program (“DAP”) agreements were entered into prior to the January 1, 2011 adoption of ASU 2009-13 and ASU 2009-14 and none have been subsequently materially modified. As the Company adopted the new guidance on a prospective basis, these agreements will continue to be accounted for under the pre-adoption guidance unless they are materially modified. The Company’s agreements are accounted for as follows: · EnhancedView Contract. The EnhancedView Contract contains multiple deliverables, including an SLA portion (“EnhancedView SLA”), infrastructure enhancements and other services. DigitalGlobe determined that these deliverables do not qualify as separate units of accounting due to a lack of standalone value for the delivered elements and a lack of objective reliable evidence of fair value for any of the undelivered elements in the arrangement. The Company recognizes revenue on a single unit of accounting using a proportional performance method based on the estimated capacity of its constellation made available to NGA compared to the total estimated capacity to be provided over the life of the contract. · Direct Access Program. The DAP generally includes construction of the direct access facility, an arrangement to allow the customer access to the satellite to task and download imagery. In these arrangements, the facility is generally delivered and accepted at the beginning of the contractual period of performance and access services occur over several subsequent reporting periods. These arrangements have generally been treated as a single unit of accounting due to a lack of standalone value for the facility. Access fees under each arrangement are recognized based on the minutes used by the customer in each period. Any up-front fees are recorded as deferred revenue and amortized ratably over the estimated customer relationship period, which is consistent with the estimated remaining useful life of the satellite being used. Analytics Services. The Company derives revenue from value-added production services where it combines images with data and imagery from its own library and other sources to create sophisticated solutions for customers. Revenue from these contracts is generally recognized based on time or reimbursable costs incurred during the period.
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock	*Series A Convertible Preferred Stock* Upon the closing of the acquisition of GeoEye, the Company issued 80,000 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) with a par value of $0.001 per share to Cerberus Satellite, LLC. Cumulative dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are payable at a rate of five percent per annum of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share. At the Company’s option, dividends may be declared and paid in cash out of funds legally available when declared by the Board of Directors or the Audit Committee of the Company. If not paid in cash, an amount equal to the cash dividends due is added to the liquidation preference. Dividends payable in cash are recorded in current liabilities. All dividends payable, whether in cash or as an addition to the liquidation preference, are recorded as a reduction to the Company’s equity. The Company declared dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock of $1.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2013, which was included in accounts payable at September 30, 2013. The Company declared dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock of $3.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2013, of which $0.4 million was recorded by GeoEye as a pre-acquisition obligation. The Series A Preferred Stock is convertible on issuance, at the option of the holders, at a conversion price of $26.17 per common share, which would convert to 3.1 million shares of common stock of the Company. If at any time after September 22, 2016 the weighted average price of the Company’s common stock exceeds $45.80 per share, in effect for 30 consecutive trading days, the Company has the right to redeem at its option all, but not less than all, of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock at an amount equal to the liquidation preference plus accrued dividends as of the redemption date.
Earnings per Share	*Earnings per Share* Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Net income available to common stockholders is equal to net income less preferred stock dividends and income allocated to participating securities. The Company’s preferred shares are participating securities and require the two-class method of computing earnings per share. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income available to common stockholders as adjusted for the effect of dilutive common equivalent shares by the weighted average number of common and dilutive common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Common equivalent shares consist of the common shares issuable upon the conversion of the convertible preferred shares and those issuable related to stock options, restricted stock awards and non-vested stock (using the treasury stock method). For purposes of computing diluted earnings per share, the if-converted method will be used to the extent that the result is more dilutive than the application of the two-class method.
New Accounting Pronouncements	*New Accounting Pronouncements* From time to time, the FASB or other standard setting bodies issue new accounting pronouncements. Updates to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) are communicated through issuance of an ASU. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, there have been no new pronouncements issued that would have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.