Credit: Government Accountability Office

WASHINGTON — Despite a surge in satellite deployments, the fundamental operating model for spacecraft hasn’t evolved much since Sputnik launched in 1957: build it, launch it, use it, discard it. This approach persists even as new technologies promise to make satellites serviceable in orbit, according to a Government Accountability Office report released July 10.

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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...