Starfish Space loses contact with Otter spacecraft during NASA mission

Starfish Space has announced that it can no longer receive data from its first full-scale Otter space vehicle, resulting in the premature end of a $15 million NASA mission. The mission, known as Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY), was designed to inspect inoperable satellites in orbit.

Loss of the Otter 24C

The Otter 24C spacecraft was launched into low Earth orbit on Oct. 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. According to Starfish Space, the company "successfully commanded Otter 24C, downlinking significant telemetry during early operations" following a successful launch and deployment.

However, the mission team lost contact with the oven-sized spacecraft during the commissioning process. An investigation into the loss of communications determined that "fault protection on the satellite bus provided by Astro Digital had an error that turned off the radio and prevented re-establishing communications," according to Starfish Space. Starfish, NASA, and Astro Digital have since determined that the spacecraft is unrecoverable.

Starfish Space is currently working with Astro Digital to update testing procedures for future Otters and to fix the fault protection system. The company stated that the work completed through Otter 24C will contribute to the success of future missions as they develop technologies to make satellite servicing a routine capability.

NASA and future mission outlook

Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology Division at NASA Headquarters, stated in a news release that "commercial capabilities like Starfish’s are critical for a competitive U.S. space economy and strong American leadership in low Earth orbit."

Despite the loss of the Otter 24C, several other Otter missions are planned, including:

• A satellite disposal job for the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency.
• Two commercial satellite servicing missions in geostationary Earth orbit.
• Two servicing missions for the U.S. Space Force.

Additionally, Starfish Space is testing an Otter Pup prototype. The company recently shared a video showing a close approach to a target satellite known as ElaraSat and is preparing for a docking attempt.

Voyager 1 technical challenges

While Starfish Space manages its orbital missions, NASA is also addressing technical hurdles with the Voyager 1 spacecraft. On Nov. 18, Voyager 1 is expected to reach a distance of approximately 16.09 billion miles (25.89 billion kilometers) from Earth, a milestone equivalent to one light-day.

NASA engineers recently managed to reestablish communication with Voyager 1 after a nearly 48-hour interruption between Oct. 18 and 19. Following that event, engineers determined that one of the spacecraft’s thrusters had apparently gone offline, causing the spacecraft to automatically engage its backup thrusters. NASA is still investigating the cause of that incident.

To manage dwindling energy reserves, NASA engineers recently completed an operation called the "Big Bang," which involved replacing three energy-consuming devices with lower power alternatives to help prevent an instrument shutdown that might otherwise occur by summer 2027.

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Sources

• geekwire.com: Starfish spacecraft failure ends NASA satellite inspection mission – GeekWire
• thedebrief.org: NASA’s Voyager 1 Experiences “Unexpected” Problems Engineers Have Never Seen Before as New Historic Milestone Approaches - The Debrief

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.