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Google Earth is a popular 3D mapping program that superimposes satellite imagery, aerial photography, and GIS data onto a digital globe, letting users explore virtually any location on Earth, which it covers by over 97 percent as of 2019. Beyond navigation, it offers a suite of tools including distance measurement, virtual globes for the Moon and Mars, a night-sky viewer, a flight simulator, Street View, and curated tours through its Voyager feature. The technology originated from Keyhole Corporation, founded by John Hanke in 1999, which exploded in popularity when CNN used its 3D flyby imagery to illustrate the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leading to a crucial cash infusion from the CIA's venture capital arm, In-Q-Tel. However, its detailed satellite views have also sparked privacy and national security concerns, resulting in bans in several countries and requests to obscure sensitive military sites. After Google acquired the technology, the desktop application was silently abandoned in 2013, and although it returned as Google Earth Pro in 2017, it has received no major updates since, with Google announcing in June 2026 that downloads will cease on 25 June 2027.