Microsoft has once again updated Bing Maps to include even more satellite and Global Ortho imagery. The company announced on their official blog that 121 terabytes of new data have been loaded into Bing Maps, which is of course also accessible through the Windows 8 Maps app.

Redmond says the new data covers roughly 15 million square kilometers of land. There's new imagery for many areas but the majority of updated views are of Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. 121 terabytes of data are dedicated solely to this type of standard imagery.

The remaining data is of the Global Ortho variety. This update includes 69 blocks covering more than 800,000 square kilometers. This brings Bing's total up to 10,777,300 square kilometers encompassing the entire United States (minus restricted zones like Area 51) and 83 percent of Europe. The team says that only four percent of Global Ortho imaging remains to be published.

If you are unfamiliar, Global Ortho imaging is Microsoft's effort to provide aerial imagery captured by pilots all over the world. These images look straight down and are typically better quality than standard satellite views. Microsoft wants to ultimately collect every square inch of the continental US and Western Europe.

Once this goal has been met, Microsoft then plans to go back and recollect about 50 percent of the original coverage. This time, they will focus on the most popular locations with higher resolution views.

On a related note, Microsoft's Bing Maps team has also updated their US and Europe desktop themes. These include more than 200+ images of the US and over 175 pictures from Europe suitable for Windows 7 and Windows 8.