{"id":2013,"date":"2026-02-09T13:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/starfish-space-secures-us-space-force-contract-for-second-otter-satellite-servicing-vehicle\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T13:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:33:15","slug":"starfish-space-secures-us-space-force-contract-for-second-otter-satellite-servicing-vehicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/starfish-space-secures-us-space-force-contract-for-second-otter-satellite-servicing-vehicle\/","title":{"rendered":"Starfish Space Secures US Space Force Contract for Second Otter Satellite Servicing Vehicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Starfish<\/p>\n

Starfish Space announced it has been awarded a $54.5 million contract to deliver its second Otter satellite servicing vehicle for the U.S. Space Force\u2019s Space Systems Command (SSC). The contract, funded through the Pentagon\u2019s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, supports delivery of an Otter spacecraft for dynamic space operations in geosynchronous orbit. The award reflects confidence in Starfish to deliver a near-term, deployable capability, with the Otter scheduled for delivery in 2028.<\/p>\n

The Otter is designed to autonomously dock with and maneuver national security satellites, maximizing their operational capabilities while supporting SSC\u2019s need for sustained space maneuver. The spacecraft leverages autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking technology, allowing it to service satellites that were not originally designed for servicing.<\/p>\n

Following the first acquisition in 2024 under a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI), this Otter will be the second Otter acquired by SSC in an anticipated series of augmented maneuver vehicles. This contract, in addition to a recent award by the Space Development Agency for Otter end-of-life disposal services, positions Starfish Space as a foundational provider of on-orbit servicing, mobility, and logistics for the U.S. Space Force.  <\/p>\n

\n

Also Read: What are the Different Types of Launch Vehicles used in Space?<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

Otter addresses a critical need for sustained space operations and maximizes the capabilities of national security assets to support the Warfighter. The award underscores a broader shift toward on-orbit servicing as a core element of national space architecture and represents Otter\u2019s transition into a sustained, operational capability.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>Starfish Space<\/em> is proud to grow our partnership with the Space Force under the APFIT program,\u201d said Austin Link, co-founder of Starfish Space.<\/strong> \u201cAPFIT is a key program in transitioning platforms like <\/em>Otter<\/em> from development to deployed capability. Through dynamic space operations and autonomous augmented maneuver, we enable the Space Force to sustain critical space assets, increase resilience, and maintain operational flexibility across evolving mission demands.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This award is the only APFIT contract issued to a space company in the current funding cycle and is among the largest APFIT awards in the program’s history. It exemplifies the program\u2019s purpose to rapidly transition proven, high-impact technologies out of development and into operational use by funding production, integration, and delivery at scale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Starfish Space announced it has been awarded a $54.5 million contract to deliver its second Otter satellite servicing vehicle for the U.S. Space Force\u2019s Space Systems Command (SSC). The contract, funded through the Pentagon\u2019s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, supports delivery of an Otter spacecraft for dynamic space operations in geosynchronous […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[26,25,20],"class_list":["post-2013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ground","tag-launch","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}