NASA is advancing an innovative approach to enabling commercial inspection of defunct, or inoperable, satellites in low Earth orbit, a precursor to capturing and repairing or removing the satellites.The agency has awarded Starfish Space of Seattle, Washington, a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to complete the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission. The award follows a Phase III study, which funded four U.S. small businesses including Starfish to develop mission concepts. Starfish Space will receive $15 million over three years to execute the mission.The ability to inspect defunct spacecraft and identify opportunities for repair or deorbiting is critical to maintaining a safe orbital environment for spacecraft and humans. Orbital debris mitigation is a key component of NASA’s Space Sustainability Strategy.“The SSPICY mission is designed to mature technologies needed for U.S. commercial capabilities for satellite servicing and logistics or disposal,” said Bo Naasz, senior technical lead for in-space servicing, manufacturing, and assembly in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “In-space inspection helps us characterize the physical state of a satellite, gather data on what may leave spacecraft stranded, and improve our understanding of fragmentations and collisions, a difficult but critical factor in a sustainable space operating environment.”The Starfish-led mission uses the company’s Otter spacecraft, a small satellite about the size of an oven, which is designed to inspect, dock with, and service or deorbit other satellites. Otter’s electric propulsion system will not only help it efficiently travel to multiple satellites, but the SSPICY demonstration also will mature the spacecraft’s ability to perform inspections using electric propulsion, an important enabling technology not typically used for rendezvous and proximity operations.During the SSPICY mission, Otter will visit and inspect multiple U.S. owned defunct satellites that have agreed to be visited and inspected – a delicate and challenging task, as satellites move quickly and are kept far apart from each other for safety. Otter will approach within hundreds of meters of each satellite to conduct inspections during mission operations. During the inspection, Otter will gather key information about each of the debris objects including their spin rate, spin axes, and current conditions of the objects’ surface materials.The SSPICY mission is the first commercial space debris inspection funded by NASA and supports the agency’s efforts to extend the life of satellites while reducing space debris. Satellites that are no longer in use can break apart or collide with one another, creating debris clouds that pose risk to human spaceflight, science and robotic missions in Earth’s orbit, and missions to other planets in the solar system. Data from inspections like those planned during the SSPICY demonstration will play a critical role in understanding the nature of defunct satellites and advancing solutions for reuse or disposal.“We are excited to expand our partnership with NASA, building on our shared commitment to advancing in-space manufacturing and assembly capabilities,” said Trevor Bennett, co-founder of Starfish Space. “It’s an honor for Starfish to lead the first commercial debris inspection mission funded by NASA. We look forward to collaborating on this and future satellite servicing missions to enable a new paradigm for humanity in space.”The Otter spacecraft is expected to launch in late 2026 and will begin performing inspections in 2027.
Starfish Space is proud to have been selected by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to conduct a mission concept study. This collaboration offers a valuable opportunity to assess how Otter can enhance our national space-based intelligence infrastructure.
The NRO, which builds and operates the nation’s spy satellites, announced Oct. 30 it has signed agreements with Cognitive Space, Impulse Space and Starfish Space under a program called Broad Agency Announcements for Agile Launch Innovation and Strategic Technology Advancement.The program’s key areas of focus include: • In-space mobility to enable access to non-traditional orbits and maneuvering between orbits • On-orbit logistics such as refueling, docking interfaces and de-orbiting • Techniques to accelerate space missions • Artificial intelligence for ground operations
Starfish Space today announced it has raised $29 million in a new funding round led by Shield Capital.
The additional funding will enable Starfish to complete the development of the first three Otter servicing vehicles, which will perform missions for Intelsat, the U.S. Space Force, and NASA. The completion of this round brings Starfish’s total funding to date to over $50 million.
When we started our fifth anniversary celebration, we promised to reveal the fourth technology we’ve developed to enable Otter missions. Today, we’re unveiling Manta! Manta is an articulating boom that Otter uses for precision thrusting while docked with a client satellite. Manta enables Otter to provide life extension and disposal services to satellites of all shapes and sizes.
SAT-LOA-20250212-00043 [Feb 13]Starfish Space's Otter 24A will be launched in January 2026, to service Intelsat-17 and ITS-1 satellites.
Intelsat License LLC (“Intelsat”) herein requests 30 days of Special Temporary Authority (“STA”),1 commencing upon grant but no later than February 26, 2025, to raise Intelsat 11 to 330 km above the geostationary arc and maintain the satellite in a controlled drift at that orbital altitude to preserve the satellite for a future experimental mission.
IS-11 may be a good candidate for the ITS-1 identity?QuoteIntelsat License LLC (“Intelsat”) herein requests 30 days of Special Temporary Authority (“STA”),1 commencing upon grant but no later than February 26, 2025, to raise Intelsat 11 to 330 km above the geostationary arc and maintain the satellite in a controlled drift at that orbital altitude to preserve the satellite for a future experimental mission.The plan in their documentation is to dock with the first satellite in graveyard orbit and briefly demonstrate station keeping before releasing that spacecraft and moving to IS-17 for the operational mission.
As discussed in the Narrative, Otter 24A will seek to operate in NGSO approximately 350 km above GEO at 36,400 km altitude, +/- 50 km to conduct a satellite servicing check-out demonstration with ITS-1.
Starfish Space, Inc. (“Starfish”), a United States company, respectfully requests authority under the Federal Communications Commission’s (“Commission”) rules, to launch and operate the Otter 24B spacecraft and conduct short-term satellite servicing and end-of-life disposal missions for two or more Space Force satellites in geosynchronous orbit (“GEO”) and near-GEO non-geostationary orbits (“NGSO”). Otter 24B is expected to launch no earlier than June, 2026.[...]Otter 24B will transit from its launch injection altitude to an altitude between 35,800 and 36,600 kilometers with a three-degree inclination to rendezvous with the first Space Force satellite (“Asset #1”). During this transit ascent, Otter 24B will conduct in-orbit testing, and upon reaching Asset #1’s location, Starfish will demonstrate Otter 24B’s inspection and stationkeeping capabilities before disposing of Asset #1 in the graveyard orbit.Following its mission with Asset #1, Starfish will carry out de-orbiting missions for additional Space Force satellites, such as Asset #2. Upon completion of these missions, Otter 24B will stand by awaiting additional missions, reaching end-of-life six years post-launch and self-disposing in the graveyard orbit at 36,050 km altitude.[...]The Otter 24B spacecraft will launch as a rideshare payload on a National Security Space Launch and be injected into orbit at approximately 36101 km altitude +/- 100 km. Starfish will conduct in-orbit testing (“IOT”) for Otter 24B at this altitude after completing separation from the launch vehicle.[...]Starfish will also incorporate best practices from the Otter 24A mission, which is scheduled to begin its on-orbit mission approximately five months before Otter 24B’s launch window.[...]Otter 24B has a mass of 380 kg.
Starfish Space@StarfishSpaceSurprise! Mission accomplished. We just executed Remora, our first closed-loop rendezvous mission, in orbit. The entire operation relied on a single camera sensor and peripheral flight computer, an industry first. The Remora mission was developed in just nine months with our partners @GoToImpulse, and quietly launched earlier this year on board Impulse’s LEO Express 2 Mira.
Otter 24C
