After seven years, Starfish Space is releasing its Otter spacecraft for a NASA mission called SSPICY. The mission will start with inspections, but there will be an opportunity to use the remaining life of Otter for more. The company has kept its team small, with about 120 employees and $150 million in funding, and works with Astro Digital for the spacecraft bus while focusing on software for rendezvous and docking.

Starfish has had mixed results in demonstrations. The first mission, Otter Pup 1, launched in 2023 but failed due to a spin rate of 330 degrees per second, though the team recovered the spacecraft. Later missions, including Otter Pup 2 in 2025, have been more successful, getting within 1 km of a target. The company also partnered with Impulse Space last summer, using its software to fly the Mira spacecraft autonomously.

Now, the big test is flying a full Otter for NASA. Starfish has five more Otters in production for future missions. Bennett expressed nervousness and excitement, noting the tension of seeing the first of anything fly, but also the pride in the effort from the team and customers. He called it a moment to celebrate and an opportunity to do something big.