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Starfish’s First Operational Otter Spacecraft to Inspect Defunct US Satellites Next Month

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Starfish’s first operational Otter spacecraft is scheduled to launch next month for the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission. During SSPICY, Otter will approach and inspect multiple defunct US satellites whose operators have agreed to host visits, demonstrating a commercial model for on-orbit inspection.

Discovered 2026-09-24T06:05:07.448198-07:00 | 2026-09-24T06:05:07.448198-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Otter’s planned inspections will generate operational experience for approaching and characterizing defunct satellites, a foundational capability for future debris-monitoring and servicing missions.
  • The mission involves multiple US satellite operators that have agreed to visits, providing an early example of coordination between commercial spacecraft operators and owners of non-operational assets.
  • Starfish’s first operational Otter marks a transition from spacecraft development toward deployed on-orbit inspection services.

Reported By

GeekWire NASA Spaceflight Payload
Sources Tracked
3
First Seen
2026-09-24T06:05:07.448198-07:00
Latest Update
2026-09-24T06:36:20.898573-07:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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