NASA may request money next year to convert NRO spy satellites into space telescopes

Two optical spy satellites from the cancelled Future Imagery Architecture program may get a chance to go into space under NASA’s WFIRST-AFTA (the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets) program.

Credit: NASA

If approved, one the former National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite will launch as early as 2024. The other satellite will remain on the ground as an engineering testbed but it may eventually be recycled for a space mission.

[thumb]http://www.space.com/29192-nasa-spy-satellite-telescopes-space-mission.html[/thumb]