Starfish Space's first Otter servicing spacecraft is not recoverable after a fault protection error switched off its radio during commissioning, ending NASA's SSPICY mission.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Starfish Space has lost contact with its first Otter servicing spacecraft, ending a NASA technology demonstration mission. The Seattle startup announced on November 3 that its Otter 24C satellite suffered a glitch in low Earth orbit and is not recoverable.
Otter 24C launched October 1 on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission, which carried 130 payloads to low Earth orbit. The spacecraft made initial contact with the ground before going silent during commissioning, when systems are switched on and instruments calibrated.
An investigation determined that fault protection on the satellite bus provided by California company Astro Digital had an error that turned off the radio and prevented re-establishing communications. "Starfish, NASA, and Astro Digital have concluded that Otter 24C is not recoverable," Starfish said.
Otter 24C was flying NASA's Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability, or SSPICY, mission. The goal was to "demonstrate technologies necessary for future debris-removal missions as well as for future applications in the servicing and inspection of active spacecraft," according to NASA's SSPICY site.
The mission plan called for the 739-pound (335-kilogram) Otter 24C spacecraft to approach and inspect "up to four inoperable space objects of U.S. origin" over the course of a two-year mission, performing detailed visual inspections. Otter 24C never got the chance to perform any of these orbital rendezvous.
MLQ.ai reported the mission was a $15 million effort funded through NASA's Advanced Research and Technology Division, with the Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program at Ames Research Center managing NASA's support. The outlet also reported that NASA and Starfish are exploring opportunities to fulfill mission objectives through other Starfish missions.
Starfish said it is implementing fixes to reduce the chances that the problem will crop up in the future, and is working with Astro Digital to fix the fault protection system and update testing for future Otters.
The company has other work underway in low Earth orbit. Its Otter Pup 2 prototype craft, launched in June 2025, recently maneuvered to within 33 meters of Gilmour Space's ElaraSat and completed the Characterize phase of its mission, leaving one phase left: attempting docking.
Starfish also holds a $52.5 million Space Development Agency contract, awarded in January, to deorbit satellites, and in 2024 signed a $37.5 million Space Force deal and an Intelsat life-extension contract for Otter missions to geostationary orbit.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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