Starfish Area lands $37.5 million Area Power contract for on-orbit servicing car

WASHINGTON — The startup Starfish Area has secured a $37.5 million contract with the U.S. Area Power to develop, launch, and function the corporate’s Otter satellite tv for pc servicing car in geostationary orbit by 2026. 

The four-year contract is a so-called STRATFI (Strategic Funding Enhance) settlement, awarded by the Area Techniques Command’s Assured Entry to Area program workplace. It combines $37.5 million in authorities funds with a further $30 million in enterprise capital funding. 

STRATFI agreements are utilized by the Protection Division to bridge the funding hole between know-how improvement and precise functions.

“This mission is one other step ahead in delivering what our warfighters require in sustained area maneuver,” Col. Joyce Bulson, director of servicing, mobility, and logistics at Area Techniques Command, mentioned Might 20 in a information launch.

‘Augmented maneuver’

Bulson mentioned the Otter spacecraft will display capabilities to offer “augmented maneuver choices” for army satellites. 

DoD’s satellites in GEO sometimes lack the power to simply transfer themselves round. The Otter spacecraft would offer augmented maneuver by docking and attaching to the shopper satellite tv for pc and utilizing Otter’s personal propulsion programs, giving the army satellite tv for pc a push or a pull, making particular actions or changes to its orbit.

Starfish Area, based mostly in Kent, Washington, was based in 2019 by former Blue Origin and NASA engineers.

The corporate plans to function the Otter car as a business service. The spacecraft can navigate in shut proximity and dock with authorities satellites, even unprepared or unconfigured ones, after which maneuver them whereas conjoined, the corporate mentioned Might 20 in a press release. “This augmented maneuver service with Otter will enhance resilience, tactical responsiveness, and strategic flexibility of U.S. belongings on-orbit in help of nationwide protection priorities.”

Different potential functions

The Area Power is varied choices to extend its capabilities to maneuver orbiting satellites. In-orbit refueling is one choice. One other is to make use of servicing spacecraft like Otter. “There may be a variety of functions for Starfish Area’s Otter along with augmented maneuver, equivalent to station-keeping or life extension, orbital switch, and finally orbital disposal which assures entry to key orbital slots whereas demonstrating accountable norms in area,” mentioned Bulson.

Particulars of the particular authorities belongings focused for Otter’s first mission haven’t but been disclosed.

Starfish Area over the previous few years obtained a number of Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis contracts from SpaceWERX, the know-how arm of the Area Power. The corporate in 2023 launched an indication “Otter Pup” mission in low Earth orbit however it suffered an anomaly and was not efficiently accomplished. 

“Starfish seems ahead to collaborating with the Area Power to construct the capabilities required to allow dynamic area operations,” mentioned Trevor Bennett, co-founder of Starfish Area. 

“The STRATFI program permits speedy acquisition of novel capabilities, and permits us to match authorities sources with non-public capital from our buyers,” he mentioned. The Area Power mission additionally will assist the federal government develop plans to combine business companies with DoD operations.

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