Starfish Space

Starfish Space builds autonomous satellite servicing vehicles designed to rendezvous with, dock, and reposition spacecraft in orbit. The company's flagship Otter vehicle uses exclusively electric propulsion and is significantly smaller and less expensive than alternatives, enabling affordable servicing at scale. Otter performs satellite life extension by maintaining orbital position and end-of-life disposal by deorbiting defunct spacecraft. The company's proprietary software stack includes CETACEAN, a computer-vision-based relative navigation system, and CEPHALOPOD, autonomous guidance and control software for trajectory planning and docking. Hardware innovations include the Nautilus universal docking mechanism for unprepared satellite surfaces and the Manta articulating boom for precision thrusting while docked. Starfish Space has validated its technology through on-orbit demonstrations including the Otter Pup 1 rendezvous mission and the Otter Pup 2 commercial docking attempt. The company holds contracts with the U.S. Space Force, NASA, the Space Development Agency, and Intelsat for missions spanning geostationary and low Earth orbit.