Starfish Space
US startup developing orbital servicing tugboats to dock with and relocate satellites.
Founded
2019
Location
USA
Company Size
30
About
Starfish Space (USA, founded 2019) is building space tug vehicles for on-orbit servicing of satellites. Their Otter spacecraft is designed to rendezvous and dock with other satellites to extend their life, reposition them, or guide them to disposal orbits. In 2021, Starfish Space tested its autonomous docking software on orbit via a partner satellite, making progress toward proving the key technologies. The company’s tugs will use electric propulsion and a novel electrostatic adhesive-based docking mechanism (called Celestial) to capture client satellites without a traditional grappling arm. Starfish Space’s vision is to enable a sustainable orbital economy by providing the services needed to maintain and safely decommission satellites, effectively cleaning up and managing space assets.