WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 15 launched 21 satellites to low Earth orbit for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency. This was the second deployment of satellites for SDA’s mesh network known as the Transport Layer.

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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...