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, Mort

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?