MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The U.S. Space Force is adopting a business model where the government owns satellites but relies on commercial operators to run them, a shift driven by mounting concerns over potential attacks on commercial space assets during conflicts and questions about who bears financial responsibility when satellites become military targets, executives said Oct. 29 at the MilSat Symposium.

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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...