On September 24, 2026, Starfish Space announced that its first full-size Otter is scheduled to launch no earlier than October 2026 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The spacecraft is assigned to SSPICY, a NASA-funded demonstration planned to inspect multiple defunct, U.S.-owned satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
What Otter is expected to inspect
SSPICY plans to send Otter to multiple satellites that have agreed to be inspected. The spacecraft is expected to approach each target within hundreds of meters and gather information such as its spin rate, spin axis and surface-material condition.
Starfish Space says Otter uses electric propulsion to travel among satellites. SSPICY is intended to mature that technology for inspection and proximity operations—maneuvers near a target spacecraft. NASA describes the mission as designed to mature technologies for U.S. commercial satellite servicing, logistics or disposal capabilities.
NASA’s $15 million SSPICY award
Starfish Space announced in September 2024 that NASA had awarded it a $15 million contract over three years through Phase III of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to complete SSPICY.
