GeoEye says it will provide imagery from its new US$502 million high-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite, pictured, to Google Earth and Google Maps after the spacecraft is launched, hopefully on Thursday.

A GeoEye spokesman said the Google logo was on the first stage of the Delta II rocket that will launch the new satellite, which will provide the highest resolution commercial colour imagery available on the market.

If all goes well with the launch, GeoEye’s new satellite will become the world’s highest resolution commercial earth-imaging satellite, offering images at 0.41 metres resolution in black and white and 1.65 metres in
colour.