Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's acquisition executive, has established new rules for developing and procuring space systems, issuing guidance that effectively concludes work started by his predecessor to pull purchases of unclassified military satellites -- that total approximately $11 billion annually -- under the umbrella of regulations that guide acquisition of other major weapon systems. In an Oct. 18 memo, Carter announced new “space system acquisition procedures,” which include a new requirement that all satellite programs undergo a high-level review during...
