Starfish Space, a startup based in Tukwila, Washington, initially faced setbacks when a thruster failure caused them to give up on testing their satellite docking system in orbit. However, they were able to salvage their first space mission, successfully completing a rendezvous between their Otter Pup spacecraft and D-Orbit’s ION SCV006 satellite. Despite the fact that Otter Pup was unable to dock as originally planned, the exercise was deemed a success by Starfish Space co-founder Trevor Bennett. This week, the startup received a $37.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to continue developing their in-space rendezvous and docking technology.
The Otter Pup satellite was sent into orbit as a rideshare payload on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the intention of demonstrating Starfish’s Cetacean computer vision system and Cephalopod trajectory planning software through docking maneuvers. However, a spin issue with Launcher’s orbital tug led to an emergency deployment of Otter Pup, causing its thruster to fail. Despite this setback, Starfish’s engineers collaborated with D-Orbit on a plan that involved the ION satellite executing maneuvers while Otter Pup captured images of the rendezvous attempts. The successful maneuvers brought Otter Pup within a kilometer of ION and provided valuable data for further software development.
While there was no opportunity for docking during the recent maneuvers, Bennett emphasized the invaluable data gathered to guide future development of Starfish’s guidance, navigation, and control software. The Otter Pup mission is expected to conclude as its orbit naturally decays over time, eventually leading to self-disposal within a few years. However, Starfish Space is already working on a second Otter Pup mission and plans to develop full-scale Otter spacecraft for various space applications such as satellite servicing, in-space refueling, and satellite maneuvering. The newly announced Space Force contract will support the development of an Otter demonstration spacecraft over the next four years to improve maneuverability on-orbit and enable dynamic space operations.
The $37.5 million contract awarded to Starfish Space by the U.S. Space Force is aimed at further advancing their in-space rendezvous and docking technology for Department of Defense assets on-orbit. The project, funded through the Strategic Funding Increase program, or STRATFI, seeks to enhance maneuverability and enable dynamic space operations such as docking and maneuvering of satellites. The success of the recent rendezvous between Otter Pup and the ION SCV006 satellite has paved the way for continued development and future applications of Starfish’s technology in the field of space operations. With plans for additional Otter missions and utilization of full-scale Otter spacecraft in various space activities, Starfish Space is poised to make significant advancements in the realm of in-space satellite operations.
