Otter is Starfish Space's small, low-cost satellite servicing spacecraft designed to autonomously rendezvous, dock with, and maneuver client satellites to extend their operational life or safely deorbit them.
Otter
Otter is Starfish Space's small, low-cost satellite servicing spacecraft designed to autonomously rendezvous, dock with, and maneuver client satellites to extend their operational life or safely deorbit them.
Description
Otter is Starfish Space's flagship in-space servicing vehicle, built to perform satellite life extension and end-of-life disposal for satellites in geostationary and other orbits. Once docked, Otter uses its own electric propulsion and fuel reserves to keep an aging or stranded client satellite operational, or to safely deorbit defunct spacecraft. Otter integrates three proprietary Starfish technologies: Cetacean, a computer-vision-based relative navigation system; Cephalopod, autonomous guidance-and-control software for rendezvous and docking maneuvers; and Nautilus, a universal docking mechanism that can capture a satellite via its launch adapter ring or an electrostatic grip on flat surfaces. Otter is roughly 10x smaller and substantially less expensive than legacy servicing vehicles, targeting commercial GEO operators, national security customers, and NASA. Flight heritage: the scaled-down Otter Pup demonstrator launched in June 2023 to validate core rendezvous/docking technologies; it suffered a thruster anomaly during commissioning that caused a rapid tumble, which the team stabilized and used to validate navigation and guidance systems, culminating in a successful non-contact orbital rendezvous with D-Orbit's ION satellite in May 2024. A second demonstrator, Otter Pup 2, launched in June 2025 to attempt the first commercial docking in LEO, targeting rendezvous and docking with Gilmour Space's ElaraSat in 2026. Full-scale Otter vehicles have been ordered by the U.S. Space Force.
Specifications
| Docking mechanism | Nautilus - universal capture device; launch adapter ring or electrostatic adhesion, no client-side docking fixture required |
|---|---|
| Navigation system | Cetacean - computer-vision-based relative navigation using binocular cameras |
| Guidance & control | Cephalopod - autonomous software for rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking |
| Otter Pup demonstrator mass | 38.8 kg wet mass |
| Target orbit | Primarily geostationary orbit for full-scale Otter |
| Flight heritage/status (mid-2026) | Otter Pup (Jun 2023): thruster anomaly prevented docking; team completed non-contact rendezvous with D-Orbit's ION satellite May 2024. Otter Pup 2 (Jun 2025): pursuing first commercial LEO docking, retargeted to Gilmour Space's ElaraSat, attempt expected later in 2026. Full-scale Otter vehicles under contract for U.S. Space Force (delivery ~2028), Intelsat, and NASA missions. |
| Size comparison | Approximately 10x smaller than legacy servicing vehicles |