Google said it?s buiying satellite company Skybox Imaging for $500 million as part of its efforts to improve its mapping and internet services. The deal is subject to adjustments, Google said. Skybox has designed satellites to capture images and deliver them to customers with details down to less than a meter.

"Skybox?s satellites will help keep Google Maps accurate with up-to-date imagery," Google said on its website. "Over time, we also hope that Skybox?s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief -- areas Google has long been interested in."

Google is looking for new ways to offer online services to users through Project Loon, which it unveiled last year to help connect people in rural or remote areas to the Web using balloons and other machinery. In April, Google also bought Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-altitude, solar-powered satellites that provides access to data services around the world.