Google’s logo will reign once more, only this time, it will be in space, on GeoEye’s new high-resolution commercial Earth-imaging satellite that is scheduled to launch on September 4.

According to an agreement between the two companies, under undisclosed terms, Google will have the exclusive access to the satellite photos for its online mapping services, Google Earth and Google Maps. The satellite is expected to send its imagery and products starting mid-October.

The deal between Google and GeoEye is a good sign that the online mapping service will benefit from the latest, most accurate high-resolution satellite photos.

The GeoEye-1 satellite will take images from 423 miles (681 kilometers) in space, and will be moving at a speed of four-and-a-half miles (7 kilometers) per second, making 15 orbits a day. The satellite’s ITT-built imaging system is capable of distinguishing objects on Earth’s surface as small as 0.41 meters (16 inches) in black and white mode.

GeoEye explained that their satellite will be able to identify an object the size of a home plate on a baseball diamond, as well as map the location of an object that size within nine feet (3 meters) of its true location.

“The GeoEye-1 satellite has the highest ground resolution color imagery available in the commercial marketplace and will produce high-quality imagery with a very accurate geolocation,” said Google spokeswoman Kate Hurowitz. “It is our goal to display high-resolution imagery for as much of the world as possible, and GeoEye-1 will help further that goal.”

The deal will mark a significant upgrade to Google’s mapping service, considering the 15 square meters per pixel resolution that the service relies on at the moment.

Although the satellite is expected to send Google the first photos as soon as October, it still remains unclear when we’ll get to see these images on Google Maps.