Deorbit-as-a-Service Contract Awarded to Starfish Space
First Ever Contracted Mission for End-of-Life Satellite Disposal Service
The U.S. Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded a $52.5 million contract to Starfish Space to provide Deorbit-as-a-Service (DaaS) for satellites within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The award is the first such contracted mission for end-of-life satellite disposal service for any provider.
“This contract reflects both the value of affordable servicing missions and the technical readiness of the Otter.”
Austin Link, Starfish Space
Under the contract, Starfish Space will build, launch, and operate an Otter spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) to safely and efficiently dispose of SDA satellites at the end of their operational lives. The mission begins with an initial deorbit, with options for multiple additional deorbits, enabled by Otter’s significant capacity and ability to service several satellites in a single mission. The mission is targeting launch in 2027.
As LEO constellations continue to expand and require refresh cycles, operators must expend increasing effort managing end-of-life disposal safely, reliably, and at scale. Until now, operators have only had two options for managing end-of-life: actively deorbit satellites prematurely to mitigate risk of early failure and resulting operational hazards, or fly satellites for longer and contend with increasing debris and risks across their constellation. With Deorbit-as-a-Service provided by Otter, Starfish gives constellation operators a better alternative: maximize the operational life and value of their constellations and rely on Otters to dispose of any satellites which cannot dispose of themselves at end-of-life.
This contract represents the first dedicated end-of-life disposal mission for a LEO constellation, and a major step forward in transitioning end-of-life servicing from concept to operational reality. “This contract and mission are proof that end-of-life satellite disposal provided by Otter can provide real value to LEO constellation operators,” said Austin Link, co-founder of Starfish Space. “With Otter, we’ve dramatically reduced the cost and complexity of satellite servicing across orbits. This contract reflects both the value of affordable servicing missions and the technical readiness of the Otter.”
Otter is designed to capture and deorbit satellites without requiring any prior modifications, allowing Starfish to service existing and future spacecraft already deployed or planned for within the PWSA constellation.
This mission builds on a previously awarded competitive mission study contract, which Starfish successfully executed for SDA throughout 2024–2025. For SDA, the mission represents an investment in the long-term viability of the PWSA, demonstrating that the agency is not only rapidly deploying satellites, but also planning ahead to maximize the capabilities that PWSA can deliver.
More broadly, the mission will demonstrate how commercial Deorbit-as-a-Service can support both government and commercial constellation operators, maximizing the value and capabilities LEO operators can derive from their constellations as they continue to scale.