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Starfish wins ~$52M SDA contract to provide first operational deorbit‑as‑a‑service for PWSA; Otter set to launch in 2027

The Space Development Agency has awarded Starfish Space a roughly $52–52.5 million contract—its first operational deorbit‑as‑a‑service—to remove Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture satellites at end‑of‑life. Starfish plans to launch its Otter servicing vehicle in 2027 and could perform multiple disposal orbits.

Discovered 2026-01-21T06:12:15.700958-08:00 | 2026-01-21T06:12:15.700958-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The award (~$52–52.5M) establishes the first contracted, operational end‑of‑life disposal service for SDA/PWSA satellites, moving disposal from one‑off demos to paid sustainment; Starfish built on its recent Remora rendezvous demonstration (source:d532f26e-e519-4525-a8b2-e47cef0af93b).
  • SDA is expanding large LEO constellations—Tranche 3 procurement alone was roughly $3.5B for 72 tracking satellites—creating scale and lifecycle management needs (on‑orbit disposal, maneuverability) that this contract addresses (source:dbdad5c9-7a09-4026-963a-9c1582cd5d5d).
  • The deal signals growing demand for commercial on‑orbit logistics and collision‑risk mitigation as national‑security launch tempo remains high, reinforcing the operational role of service spacecraft alongside continued SDA deployments (source:9b96d913-19b4-441d-a2d5-e5e734c050f3).

Reported By

air-cosmos.com Defense Daily Air & Space Forces Mag Via Satellite Janes cosmiclog.com
Sources Tracked
11
First Seen
2026-01-21T06:12:15.700958-08:00
Latest Update
2026-01-27T03:12:03.543734-08:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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