LONG BEACH, Calif. Astronomers are excited by the possibility of using one of two cast-off spy satellite telescopes gifted to NASA to probe for dark energy.

They have already come up with a design that would incorporate the spy telescope into the proposed Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a high-priority NASA mission that would hunt for dark energy, exoplanets and supernovae.

Though a final review and economic analysis won't be released until April, the new design based on the donated scopes would boost WFIRST's abilities significantly, some researchers say. But the concept could also require more power and a bigger launch vehicle, potentially raising the project's roughly $1.5 billion price tag.

More powerful probe

In June, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office donated to NASA two 2.4-meter telescopes that were part of a failed spy satellite program. The telescopes have roughly twice the collecting surface as earlier designs of WFIRST, which allows for better resolving power. They also have a better field of view than existing telescopes (though smaller than some initial design proposals). [Gallery: Declassified U.S Spy Satellite Photos and Designs]

"The magic of this telescope compared to existing telescopes like the James Webb Telescope or the Hubble Telescope is it has a huge field of view," NASA astrophysicist Neil Gehrels said during a presentation of the new designs here at the 221st meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 8.

The new proposed design also includes a coronagraph, which can block out starlight to resolve exoplanets and other objects.

Complementary telescope

Another advantage of using the spy telescope is that it may complement existing projects.

For instance, the Euclid project headed by the European Space Agency will scan for dark energy the mysterious force thought to be accelerating the expansion of the universe but using a wider, shallower survey. The proposed WFIRST design could then go in and probe in more detail, researchers said.

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NASA's Donated Spy Telescopes May Aid Dark Energy Search