Orbital Imaging (Orbimage), a remote sensing company operating under Chapter 11 protection, could be a beneficiary of a new U.S. government policy to buy imagery data from the private sector whenever practical.

The Bush administration’s policy change offers several positive effects, including a reduction of “uncertainty” in the capital markets about remote sensing companies, said Timothy Puckorius, senior vice president of worldwide marketing and sales at Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage. The new policy should help Orbimage “raise money,” he said. Investors will know that the U.S. government is committed to buying commercial imagery, rather than building and launching new satellites, he explained.

Orbimage’s OrbView-3 imaging satellite with a 1-meter resolution has been ship to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., where it is scheduled for launch June 15 aboard Orbital Sciences‘ [NYSE: ORB] Pegasus rocket. The satellite is to be placed into low-Earth-orbit.

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