Science & Tech · Space · 2 hrs ago
Starfish Space loses contact with Otter, ending NASA satellite inspection mission
Starfish Space lost contact with its Otter 24C spacecraft during commissioning, ending the mission about a month after its October 1 launch.
The spacecraft was sent to low Earth orbit to inspect defunct US satellites and collect information for possible future efforts to remove them.
A fault in the satellite bus turned off Otter’s radio, leaving the company unable to restore communications; the spacecraft was determined to be unrecoverable.
The $15 million mission was NASA’s first effort to fund commercial satellite inspection for debris work.
NASA and Starfish are exploring other missions that could complete some of Otter 24C’s objectives.
Starfish is working with bus supplier Astro Digital on fixes and revised testing, while other Otter missions remain planned, including work for the Pentagon and US Space Force.
Starfish Space lost contact with its Otter 24C spacecraft, ending its $15 million NASA satellite-inspection mission.
A fault-protection error on the spacecraft bus turned off its radio and prevented communications from being restored.
The spacecraft was unrecoverable, and the mission ended during commissioning about a month after launch.
Starfish and NASA are exploring whether other Starfish missions can fulfill some of the mission objectives.
Starfish is working with Astro Digital on fixes to the fault-protection system and updated testing procedures for future Otter spacecraft.
- Who
- Starfish Space and NASA. The spacecraft was Otter 24C.
- What
- Starfish lost contact with Otter 24C, ending its SSPICY satellite-inspection mission.
- When
- About a month after the spacecraft launched on Oct. 1, 2026. Starfish reported the loss in early November.
- Where
- In orbit; the spacecraft was sent into low Earth orbit.
- Why
- A fault-protection error on the satellite bus turned off the radio and prevented communications from being re-established.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Otter 24C launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and established contact with the ground after deployment.
A fault-protection error turned off the spacecraft’s radio, and the mission team lost contact.
Starfish reported that communications could not be restored and that the spacecraft was unrecoverable.
- Spacecraft
- Otter 24C
- Mission
- SSPICY, the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission
- NASA mission value
- $15 million
- Launch date
- Oct. 1, 2026
- Fault source
- Fault protection on the satellite bus provided by Astro Digital
2 sources
What people are saying
An investigation into the loss of communications has determined that fault protection on the satellite bus provided by Astro Digital had an error that turned off the radio and prevented re-establishing communications
Starfish and NASA are exploring opportunities to fulfill mission objectives through other Starfish missions
commercial capabilities like Starfish’s are critical for a competitive U.S. space economy and strong American leadership in low Earth orbit