ORLANDO, Fla. — Governments on both sides of the Atlantic routinely say they are “going commercial” in space, but a new study argues that the phrase has become so elastic it risks obscuring what public agencies are actually buying, and why.

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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...