DENVER — Data and intelligence providers, along with governments, are outsourcing the construction and operation of Earth-observation constellations, favoring access to data and analytics over owning the satellites and ground systems that produce them. The shift is helping reshape parts of the space industry, enabling companies such as Loft Orbital to move beyond niche hosted-payload offerings into what executives describe as “constellations as a service.”

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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...