US Spy Satellites
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A Boeing Delta 4 rocket is prepared for liftoff at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. in this June 27, 2006 file photo. The rocket carried a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and manages the nation's spy satellites. The U.S. is pursuing a new $2.9 billion program to develop a next generation of super secret spy satellites that could be launched by 2011, the first major effort of its kind after the failure two years ago of an ambitious and costly project, the Associated Press has learned. The effort comes as many U.S. officials, lawmakers and defense experts question the high price of the classified satellite programs, which receive almost no public oversight. (AP Photo/Gene Blevins, File)