# Starfish Space loses contact with Otter spacecraft after onboard software error on NASA-funded mission

- Published: 2026-11-05 00:05 UTC
- Section: Sky & Space › Space
- Tags: Starfish Space, Otter spacecraft, SSPICY mission, NASA SBIR, satellite servicing, fault protection, Falcon 9, low Earth orbit, Otter Pup 2
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-be9f40cb3f75b68e68db0fc0_starfish_space_loses/

**A fault-protection software error switched off the radio of the Otter demonstrator launched 1 October; NASA and the company concluded it cannot be recovered.**

![Starfish Space loses contact with Otter spacecraft after onboard software error on NASA-funded mission](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/b2a31b731f30805d.jpg)
*Universe Magazine*

US startup Starfish Space has lost contact with Otter, its first full-scale satellite-servicing spacecraft, and the vehicle cannot be recovered, Universe Magazine reports. The SSPICY demonstration mission launched on 1 October on a Falcon 9 rocket. At first the team received telemetry from the spacecraft, but the link was lost during commissioning. [1]

Commissioning is the first stage after launch, when onboard systems are switched on in turn and instruments are calibrated. NASA, which funded the mission, said the cause lies in the fault-protection system. This is onboard software that monitors for faults and responds to them, for example by restarting or switching off equipment. [1]

## Why the spacecraft cannot be recovered

Due to an error in this software, the onboard radio system remains off. Engineers on the ground therefore cannot send either a command or a fix to the spacecraft. NASA and the company concluded that the vehicle cannot be saved. [1]

Otter was designed to approach faulty US-origin objects in low Earth orbit and inspect them at close range. It carries a propulsion unit, a navigation and control system and a retractable robotic arm. This was the first flight in which all of Starfish Space's key technologies were assembled in one structure. [1]

NASA invested $15 million in the mission through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The demonstration was expected to return data on the characteristics of debris in orbit. The company is now looking for ways to carry out the SSPICY objectives on its other missions. [1]

## Earlier vehicles and next steps

Starfish Space's earlier, smaller spacecraft, Otter Pup, also had problems after its 2023 launch, when a thruster anomaly occurred. The team regained control, and in 2024 the vehicle carried out a rendezvous with a spacecraft of the Italian company D-Orbit. The second vehicle in the series, Otter Pup 2, has completed the autonomous rendezvous stage and approached to 25 m of the ElaraSat satellite of Australia's Gilmour Space. Docking with a satellite not designed for it is next. [1]

In April 2026 the company raised more than $100 million in a round led by Point72 Ventures. According to GeekWire, its plans still include two missions to service commercial satellites in geostationary orbit. There are no reports of contract cancellations after the loss of Otter. [1]

Together with its partner Astro Digital, the Starfish Space team is fixing the fault-protection system and revising test procedures for future Otter vehicles. The company has not yet named a date for the next launch of a full-scale spacecraft. [1]

## Sources

1. [Universe Magazine](https://universemagazine.com/programnyj-zbij-obirvav-demonstraczijnu-misiyu-nasa-na-orbiti)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-be9f40cb3f75b68e68db0fc0_starfish_space_loses/