Starfish Space Secures $54.5 Million Contract to Enhance Satellite Servicing Capabilities for U.S. Space Force
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command has awarded a $54.5 million contract to Starfish Space, a company based in Tukwila, Washington, for the production of an additional Otter satellite servicing spacecraft.
This latest agreement, which was made public earlier this week, expands upon a previous $37.5 million Space Systems Command contract granted in 2024 via the Department of the Air Force’s Strategic Funding Increase program, known as STRATFI. The current contract receives its funding through a Pentagon initiative titled Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, or APFIT.
According to Starfish, this award represents the sole APFIT contract given to a space industry company during the present cycle and stands as one of the most substantial awards in the program’s entire history.
Co-founder of Starfish Space, Austin Link, expressed pride in expanding the company’s collaboration with the Space Force under the APFIT program. In a news release issued today, Link emphasized that APFIT serves as a crucial program for moving platforms like Otter from the development phase to actual deployed capability. He explained that through dynamic space operations and autonomous augmented maneuver capabilities, the company enables the Space Force to maintain critical space assets, enhance resilience, and preserve operational flexibility amid changing mission requirements.
Similar to the previous agreement, this new contract requires Starfish to deliver an Otter spacecraft for conducting dynamic space operations in geosynchronous Earth orbit. The scheduled delivery date is set for 2028, and the contract includes an option for two additional years of operational support.
The Otter spacecraft features autonomous inspection and docking capabilities and can service satellites that were not initially designed for on-orbit modifications. The spacecraft possesses the ability to relocate satellites into higher orbits to prolong their operational lifespan or guide them into lower orbits for safe decommissioning. Last month, Starfish obtained a separate $52.5 million contract from the Space Force’s Space Development Agency specifically for military satellite disposal operations.
A prototype version called Otter Pup 2 underwent launch last year and has been participating in orbital testing. Currently, three full-scale Otter spacecraft are being prepared for launch missions. One will serve the Space Systems Command, another will be used for a satellite maneuvering demonstration sponsored by SES satellite company, and the third will participate in a NASA-funded satellite inspection mission.
The company was established in 2019 by Link and Trevor Bennett, both of whom previously worked as engineers at Blue Origin, the space venture owned by Jeff Bezos. During 2024, Starfish announced it had secured $29 million through an investment round that allowed the company to finalize development of the first three Otter spacecraft. At that time, the company disclosed that its total accumulated funding reached approximately $50 million.
The Otter program represents a significant advancement in satellite servicing technology, providing critical capabilities for maintaining and managing spacecraft in orbit. The ability to service satellites regardless of their original design specifications opens new possibilities for extending the useful life of expensive space assets and ensuring proper disposal of spacecraft at the end of their operational periods. This technology addresses growing concerns about space sustainability and the increasing population of objects in Earth’s orbit, while simultaneously providing the Space Force with enhanced operational capabilities for its space-based assets.
