Misty is reportedly the name of a classified project by the United States National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to operate stealthy reconnaissance satellites.
[2] The first satellite (USA-53 or 1990-019B,[3] 19,600 kg) launched for the program was deployed on 1 March 1990 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis as part of Mission STS-36.
[citation needed] Porter Goss, a former Congressman and former CIA director, and George Tenet, former CIA director, have both vigorously supported successors to Misty, despite several attempts by Senators Dianne Feinstein and John D. Rockefeller IV to terminate the program.
The primary contractor is Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
[citation needed] On 21 June 2007, the Associated Press reported that Director of National Intelligence John Michael McConnell had cancelled the Misty program.