Tasco

These scopes are designed for rugged outdoor use and feature rubber armor protection as well as optional camouflage.

[1] In June 1998, Tasco purchased Celestron, another telescope manufacturer which focused on performance optical equipment and the more serious observer.

Meade Corporation began negotiations for a merger, but the Federal Trade Commission blocked the attempt.

Under the terms of the transaction, ATK paid $985 million in cash, subject to customary post-closing adjustments.

It began "regular way" trading on the New York Stock Exchange on February 10, 2015 under the ticker symbol "VSTO."

[16] The company had been searching for a buyer for several months, but after much interest by Meade Instruments Corporation, the Federal Trade Commission, on this day, sanctioned a temporary restraining order in federal district court to preempt any attempt by Meade, the leading manufacturer of performance telescopes in the United States, to purchase all or certain assets of Tasco Holdings, Inc., including Celestron, a subsidiary and number two performance telescope provider in the U.S.

The FTC argued that an acquisition by Meade of Celestron would negatively impact the performance telescope market by eliminating significant competition between the two companies and by creating a monopoly in the market for Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, which were currently only being sold in the U.S. by Celestron and Meade.

[9] Later in 2002, Tasco and Celestron, then under the ownership of Bushnell Performance Optics, filed suits also in the District Court of California, alleging Meade products infringed on a United States patent entitled "Tripod Structure for Telescopes."

Both companies sought injunctive relief and compensatory damages in an unspecified amount, and attorneys' fees and costs.