Starfish Space, a Washington-based company, has been awarded a three-year, $15 million contract from NASA for a mission to conduct up-close inspections of defunct satellites in orbit using their Otter spacecraft starting in 2027. This mission, known as SSPICY, aims to pave the way for future ambitious missions involving the repair or removal of satellites. NASA awarded this Phase III Small Business Innovation Research contract after a study that involved four small businesses, including Starfish Space. The mission aligns with NASA’s Space Sustainability Strategy, focusing on orbital debris mitigation and satellite servicing.
The Otter spacecraft, about the size of an oven, is designed to approach, inspect, and potentially dock with other satellites in orbit. Equipped with an electric propulsion system, a navigation system called Cetacean, an autonomous guidance software platform called Cephalopod, and a docking system called Nautilus, the Otter spacecraft will visit and inspect multiple U.S.-owned defunct satellites during the SSPICY mission. This inspection will gather information on the satellites’ spin rate, spin axis, and surface conditions, stopping short of docking to gather key data.
The SSPICY mission seeks to advance commercial capabilities for servicing satellites in need of assistance or safe disposal of satellites beyond saving. In-space inspection is crucial for understanding the physical state of satellites, learning about what may leave spacecraft stranded, and improving knowledge about fragmentations and collisions in orbit to maintain a sustainable space operating environment. NASA’s senior technical lead for in-space servicing, manufacturing, and assembly highlighted the significance of this mission in advancing understanding of these factors.
While this may be Starfish Space’s first commercial space debris inspection mission funded by NASA, the company has previously won contracts in the space industry. In May, the U.S. Space Force awarded Starfish a $37.5 million contract for a docking mission with Otter to provide enhanced maneuverability for national space assets in orbit for two years. Additionally, Starfish signed a contract with Intelsat to provide life extension services to a geostationary satellite beginning in 2026. These contracts demonstrate the company’s capabilities and expertise in the field.
Starfish Space’s founders, Trevor Bennett and Austin Link, who are veterans of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture, expressed their excitement for the partnership with NASA and the opportunity to lead the first commercial debris inspection mission funded by the agency. The company’s focus on in-space manufacturing and assembly capabilities aligns with NASA’s goals in advancing space exploration. With a mission to enable a new paradigm for humanity in space, Starfish looks forward to collaborating on future satellite servicing missions.
The success of Starfish Space’s Otter Pup demonstration mission in 2023 showcased the company’s ability to maneuver satellites in orbit. Although challenges were faced during the mission, it demonstrated the potential of Starfish’s technologies in rendezvousing with other satellites. The upcoming SSPICY mission will further test and validate Starfish’s capabilities in conducting closer inspections of defunct satellites, setting the stage for future missions involving repair or removal of satellites in orbit.
