I'd think you'd want a decent return in terms of longevity, considering the size and (I would assume) weight of it.
I'd bet modern satellites are much more disposable by comparison.
Early spy satellites, for example, relied on film that was returned to Earth, once the film ran out the satellite was useless. Other satellites simply became obsolete or lost attitude control and were no longer useful. Telstar had a service life of only about a year, the first half dozen TIROS weather satellites had lifetimes of about a year or less. Today satellites with similar missions are expected to last decades, which they often do.
Which is why many satellites are resold on secondary markets after their primary mission timeframe has passed.