A few months ago, a space startup in India was preparing to launch a satellite when it learned that the satellite and the rocket’s deployer—the mechanism that carries the satellite up and releases it into orbit—were incompatible.

The mismatch meant the satellite’s kill-switch mechanism could not work as intended. The switch was supposed to keep the satellite’s battery inactive during launch and turn it on only after separation from the rocket, once the satellite reached orbit. The startup also had not been properly informed about the deployer’s........

© The Ken