Such detailed, small-scale measurements of a three-dimensional region of space would be impossible without satellites flying in formation.

ECONOMIST: Birds of a feather

Thus, private forecasters can stock up on free American data and resell it to other markets without investing in costly satellites or supercomputers.

ECONOMIST: Weather

Unlike conventional rockets that blast off from a pad, air-launched systems similar to the one Mr. Allen wants to put together are designed to deliver a broad range of satellites to space without the constraints of weather or optimal times and locations to try to reach specific orbits.

WSJ: Microsoft Co-Founder to Build Massive Jet for Space Launches