On: As NASA increasingly relies on commercial space, there are some troubling signs

[readthenotes1]

I'm a little confused and need some help.

My understanding is that NASA relied on external contractors for space launches forever (e.g., Douglas Aircraft, Morton thiokol).

Is it a question of who does the design (currently outsourced to Lockheedless and SpaceX?),. construction, maintenance, etc.?

Or is a question of who owns the IP?