WASHINGTON - THE national intelligence director and defence secretary are asking the Obama administration to approve a new top-secret spy satellite program that could cost more than US$10 billion (S$15 billion) , according to US government, military and industry officials.

The program calls for building two sophisticated satellites equal to or better than the huge, high-resolution secret satellites now in orbit.

At the same time, the government would also commit to spend enough money on commercial satellite imagery sufficient to pay for the construction and launch of two new commercial satellites.

In opting to go with what they describe as the '2+2' program,' National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Defense Secretary Robert Gates rejected an alternate satellite proposal from military officials at the Pentagon.

The uniformed military favoured developing and launching two new satellites that would be able to observe targets with better resolution than their commercial counterparts.

The military maintains its preferred satellites would be faster, cheaper and less technologically difficult to build than the larger satellites envisioned in the proposed '2+2' plan, officials said.

The Defense Department spends about US$20 billion annually on space programs. -- AP