SDA awards PWSA satellite end-of-life disposal contract to Starfish Space

Starfish Space's Otter is designed to rendezvous with and safely deorbit satellites without prior modifications, enabling disposal services for LEO constellations. (Starfish Space)

The US Space Force's (USSF's) Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded a USD52.5 million contract to Starfish Space for end-of-life satellite disposal, the company announced on 21 January.

The contract stipulates that the Washington state-based company will provide “deorbit as a service” through its “Otter” spacecraft to low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites within SDA's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

The mission, which is targeting a 2027 launch, will consist of an initial deorbit with the option for multiple additional deorbits, the company said in a statement.

“Starfish can come in there and actually help remove satellites that are dead or dying. We can actually help reposition satellites into new layers or new mission areas because we're providing augmented manoeuvre or extra support in being able to shift satellites around,” Trevor Bennett, co-founder at Starfish Space, told Janes on 16 January.

Bennett told Janes that Starfish is offering SDA a “first-of-its-kind LEO constellation management service”, using its Otter spacecraft to conduct autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) missions.

Using computer vision, the 300 kg spacecraft can perform multiple deorbiting missions and self-disposal, with an “operator on the loop” able to intervene if mission conditions change, Bennett said.