They are literally tape measures. Source: I know engineers at Lockheed martin.. Manufacing that tape is a highly specialized big factory scale production proc

They are literally tape measures. Source: I know engineers at Lockheed martin.. Manufacing that tape is a highly specialized big factory scale production process. It doesn't make sense to build a special tape factory just for the 100 feet of it they need for satalites annually. The tape many of them use is sourced from the same suppliers as tape measures for these reasons.