GoKawiilStarfish Space to launch first Otter satellite-servicing spacecraft on Falcon 9
Seven years after its founding, Starfish Space will send its first Otter spacecraft into orbit next month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter mission. The demonstration flight, called SSPICY, is being conducted for NASA and will have Otter approach several defunct US-owned satellites to gather data on their spin rates and condition without docking.
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The mission could serve as an early proof point for Starfish's broader ambitions to build vehicles that inspect, service, and extend the life of satellites in orbit, a niche the founders say is becoming more urgent as satellite constellations grow. Success or failure of this NASA-backed demonstration may influence whether the company can win further contracts for the harder task of docking with and deorbiting or repairing spacecraft.
- Starfish Space's first Otter spacecraft launches next month on a Falcon 9 Transporter mission.
- The NASA-sponsored SSPICY mission will test Otter's ability to inspect defunct satellites from a distance.
- The launch comes seven years after Starfish Space was founded by two former Blue Origin engineers.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-25
Published there as: “After seven years, a spacecraft company is releasing its Otters into the wild”
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