Google co-founder Sergey Brin looks set to take Google Earth to the next level by personally inspecting the planet from orbit.

He’s signed a deal with Space Adventures private company responsible for brokering all previous space tourism deals—to become its first member of its ‘Founding Explorer’ group. By putting down $5 million, he’s secured himself a priority deat on a ride into orbit.

Space Adventures also announced in a press release that, from 2011, they’ll be flying dedicated tourism flights to the International Space Station. Currently, space tourists hitch a ride of an ISS-bound Russian Soyuz vessel whenever the Russian space program can fit them in. From 2011, missions will launch especially for paying tourists, with two seats available on each Soyuz.