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Deployment

Otter at Low Earth Orbit

Small autonomous satellite-servicing vehicle (space tug) using electrostatic/Nautilus capture and CETACEAN autonomous-navigation software.

Otter by Starfish Space · Catalog entry · 2 sources · not yet field-verified · Space

Track Otter at Low Earth Orbit

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The Otter Pup demonstration mission in low Earth Orbit involved an orbital rendezvous between Starfish Space's Otter and D-Orbit, which was completed to close out the mission.

Key facts

Outcome
Otter Pup demonstrator: Pup 1 (2023) tumbled after separation, recovered, reached ~1 km rendezvous + imaged a D-Orbit ION (Apr 2024) but achieved NO docking; Pup 2 (2025) ran in-orbit tests, docking partner withdrew. No commercial docking achieved to date (demonstrated)

Exposure

Customer segment
research
Scale tier
undisclosed

Each exposure value carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Safety record

No incidents on record for Otter at Low Earth Orbit.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 2 sources · not yet field-verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-08-21
Model
Otter
Company
Starfish Space
Location
Low Earth Orbit
Operator
Starfish Space
Status
ended
Operator type
maker operated
Scale at site
undisclosed
Site environment
mixed
Location precision
verified coordinates
First seen
2023-06-12
ID
37c3ae79-b31e-42d8-be41-26ad2ac4dd71

Timeline

  1. Jun 2023
    First recorded
    Otter first documented operating at Low Earth Orbit.
  2. Jun 2023
    created
  3. Aug 2026
    Current status: ended, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

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Otter operates in Low Earth Orbit. Explore the full verified map:

Sources (2)

  1. https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/07/starfish-space-and-d-orbit-complete-orbital-rendezvous-bringing-otter-pup-mission-to-a-close/
  2. https://www.starfishspace.com/missions/
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-21

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: pilot

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication
1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Otter at Low Earth Orbit.

Common questions

What is the Otter deployment at Low Earth Orbit?
Otter, built by Starfish Space, is recorded as a deployment at Low Earth Orbit on the DEPLOY registry. Starfish Space operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Otter at Low Earth Orbit?
Starfish Space, the manufacturer of Otter, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Otter deployment at Low Earth Orbit go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting June 12, 2023 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Is the Otter deployment at Low Earth Orbit still active?
As of the most recent verification on the DEPLOY registry, this deployment is no longer operating at this location.
Have there been incidents at the Otter deployment at Low Earth Orbit?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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