WASHINGTON — From what is known so far about the Trump administration’s missile defense initiative known as Golden Dome, its backbone will be space-based sensors. But some of the most critical and hotly contested contracts may come from less visible parts of the architecture: ground infrastructure and the software that will manage the “system of systems.”

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Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...