Overview
- The Series B was led by Point72 Ventures with Activate Capital and Shield Capital as co-leads, and the new money lifts total investment in Starfish past $150 million.
- Starfish said the funding will ramp up production of its Otter servicing spacecraft, add roughly 40 to 50 hires to a team of about 90, and support its first full-size Otter launch later this year.
- The company listed signed work that includes U.S. Space Force docking demos worth $37.5 million plus a $54.5 million follow-on, a $52.5 million Space Development Agency disposal mission, a $15 million NASA inspection mission, and a commercial life-extension deal with SES.
- Otter Pup 2, a scaled test vehicle launched last June, is operating in orbit and now plans a docking demo with a new partner, with lessons fed into Otter through software updates uploaded after launch.
- Otter is built to rendezvous and dock with satellites to extend their life or guide them to disposal, a dual-use capability that could curb debris, stretch operators’ budgets, and support national security needs as future roles like in-orbit assembly and repair are explored.