Starfish Space
Overview
Sells servicing missions as a service — life extension, relocation, inspection and end-of-life disposal — priced per mission, targeting the existing fleet of satellites never designed to be serviced rather than only future purpose-built spacecraft.
Moat: Otter is roughly 10x smaller and materially cheaper than legacy servicing vehicles and docks using only electric propulsion, backed by real rendezvous/proximity-operations flight heritage (Otter Pup 1, Otter Pup 2, and the Remora demonstration with Impulse Space) plus first-mover status on the world's first contracted end-of-life disposal mission.
Business
Primary customers
- Defense: US Space Force / SDA
- Government: NASA
- Commercial: SES (satellite maneuvering/life-extension demonstration)
Sectors
in-space-servicing · satellite-life-extension · debris-removal · rendezvous-proximity-operations · national-security-space · space-sustainability
Last Funding Round
Key Products
- Otterdevelopment
Full-scale autonomous satellite servicing vehicle using electric propulsion to dock with unprepared satellites for life extension, relocation, inspection and disposal. First full Otter missions scheduled for later 2026; not yet flown.
- Otter Pup 1retired
Sub-scale demonstrator that suffered an anomaly after launch but recovered enough to complete an orbital rendezvous with a D-Orbit spacecraft.
First flight: 2023
- Otter Pup 2development
Sub-scale demonstrator attempting the first-ever docking with an unprepared commercial satellite in LEO. Its original docking target withdrew; it retargeted Gilmour Space's ElaraSat, with rendezvous tests reported through May 2026 — docking not yet confirmed achieved.
First flight: 2025-06
- Remoraretired
Autonomous proximity-operations demonstration flown jointly with Impulse Space, completed December 2025.
Government Contracts
| Agency | Program | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Space Force / Space Systems Command | First Otter on-orbit servicing vehicle, to operate in GEO | $37.5M | 2024 | |
| SDA (US Space Force) | Deorbit-as-a-Service (DaaS) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture — the first contracted end-of-life satellite disposal mission in history | $52.5M | 2026 | |
| US Space Force / Space Systems Command | Second dedicated Otter satellite servicing vehicle, funded through APFIT, for autonomous docking with national security satellites in GEO | $54.5M | 2026 |
Near-term Catalysts
- 2026
Otter Pup 2 docking attempt with Gilmour Space's ElaraSat
Would be the first-ever commercial docking with an unprepared satellite in LEO — the proof point for the entire Otter business case.
- 2026
First full-scale Otter missions
Three Otters are being readied — for Space Systems Command, the SES-funded maneuvering demonstration, and the NASA-funded inspection mission.
- 2027
SDA Deorbit-as-a-Service mission launch
Creates an entirely new procurement category — disposal as a contracted service — with Starfish as the incumbent.
Top Risks
- No full-scale Otter has flown — every government contract listed ($37.5M, $52.5M, $54.5M) is for a vehicle class with zero flight history; only sub-scale Pups have flown.
- Docking with uncooperative targets is demonstrably hard — Otter Pup 1 suffered an anomaly, and Otter Pup 2 lost its original docking partner mid-mission.
- Government concentration and long lead times (deliveries in 2027-2028) mean a budget or programme shift could land before meaningful commercial revenue exists to cushion it.
Recent Milestones
- 2026-04-07
Series B over $100M led by Point72 Ventures; total venture funding passes $150M
- 2026-03-26
Announced ElaraSat (Gilmour Space) as Otter Pup 2's new docking target after the original partner withdrew
- 2026-02-07
$54.5M Space Systems Command APFIT contract for a second dedicated Otter, delivery 2028
- 2026-01-21
$52.5M SDA contract — first-ever end-of-life disposal contract for a LEO constellation, launch targeted 2027
- 2025-12
Remora — autonomous spacecraft proximity operations demonstrated jointly with Impulse Space
What investors should know
Q1Has Starfish Space's Otter Pup 2 completed its docking?⌄
Q2Who leads Starfish Space?⌄
Q3What is Starfish's SDA contract?⌄
Q4How much has Starfish raised?⌄
Q5Has any full-scale Otter flown?⌄
Peers
Sources & References
Press Release
- Starfish Space · 2026-04-07
- Starfish Space · 2026-01-21
- Starfish Space · 2026-02-07
- Starfish Space · 2026-07-26