Key facts
- Starfish Space is launching its first full-fledged Otter spacecraft for a NASA mission.
- The company has been in existence for seven years and has raised approximately $150 million.
- The Otter spacecraft is designed for rendezvous, docking, and life extension capabilities.
- The company procures its spacecraft bus from Astro Digital and focuses on software and maneuvering technologies.
- The long-term goal for the Otter spacecraft is to enable refueling using water propellant.
- Starfish Space has five more Otters in production for future missions.
Starfish Space is set to launch its first full-fledged Otter spacecraft for a NASA mission, marking a significant milestone after seven years of development. The company, founded by Bennett and Link, has focused on creating software and maneuvering technologies for precise rendezvous, docking, and extending the operational life of spacecraft. They procure their spacecraft bus from Astro Digital, allowing them to concentrate on their core expertise.
The company has pursued a strategy of incremental demonstrations. The initial mission, Otter Pup 1, launched in 2023, but faced challenges after premature ejection and a subsequent thruster failure. However, later missions have shown more promise. Otter Pup 2, launched in 2025, has successfully flown in close proximity to a target spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, getting within 1 km, with a docking anticipated in the coming months. Starfish Space also demonstrated its autonomous rendezvous capabilities by partnering with Impulse Space to fly the Mira spacecraft last summer.
The upcoming mission with the full-fledged Otter represents the culmination of these efforts. Starfish Space has five additional Otters in production for future missions aimed at showcasing docking, de-orbiting, and life extension services. Bennett expressed a mix of nervousness and excitement about the launch, highlighting the significance of introducing a new capability to orbit and the collective effort involved in reaching this point.