Starfish Space Inc.

Starfish Space Inc., a small business manufacturer based in Tukwila, Washington, develops autonomous satellite servicing vehicles and on-orbit logistics platforms as a prime contractor exclusively — all 24 recent federal awards are prime contracts with no subcontract footprint. The company competes under the Total Small Business set-aside across the majority of its SBIR and STTR Phase II and Phase III work, with full-and-open designations on its largest definitive contracts and Other Transaction Agreements.

Starfish Space's core capability centers on the Otter, an electric propulsion autonomous satellite servicing vehicle engineered for on-orbit maintenance, spacecraft rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking. The company has built an integrated technology stack around this platform, including Cetacean modular autonomous relative navigation software, Cephalopod flight software for proximity operations, the Manta articulating thruster boom, and Nautilus capture mechanisms for satellite and debris acquisition. Recent Phase III work demonstrates transition from early research into operational deployment: the Space and Missile Systems Center awarded a $54.5 million definitive contract on January 30, 2026, for Otter SBIR Phase III under the APFIT program, running through June 30, 2034; the Air Force awarded a $52.5 million Other Transaction Agreement on September 26, 2025, for Space Deorbit-as-a-Service; and the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded a $49.1 million definitive contract on July 1, 2024, for the Strategic Funds Increase Project to develop space mobility and logistics technology using Otter for dynamic docking and maneuvering of DoD assets by 2026. Earlier-stage work includes a $15 million SBIR Phase III with the Shared Services Center for the Starfish Space Orbital Debris Inspection and Capture mission and multiple Phase I and Phase II efforts on relative navigation, docking hardware, and rapid testing platforms.

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward the Department of Defense. The Air Force Research Laboratory leads by both award count and dollar value: 13 awards worth $62.3 million combined potential value. The Department of the Air Force Space Command Space and Missile Systems Center contributes one award but carries the largest single dollar exposure at $54.5 million. The Department of the Air Force adds two more awards worth $52.9 million. NASA through the Shared Services Center accounts for 7 awards totaling $17 million in potential value. The Office of the Secretary of Defense rounds out the customer base with a single $3 million Other Transaction Agreement. All five customer agencies are defense or aerospace-focused; there is no civilian-agency diversification.

Starfish Space demonstrates sharp growth in recent years before a recent contraction. Awards peaked at eight in 2023, declined to four in 2024, and three in 2025, with one award closing in the first half of 2026. Combined potential value across all 24 awards is $189.8 million, with $134.2 million obligated. Two awards carrying combined potential value of $67.5 million face ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months and therefore represent recompete exposure. The company operates exclusively as a prime; it carries no identified subcontract work or teaming relationships in the source data. Primary NAICS concentration is Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, with PSC codes clustering around national defense applied research and general science and technology R&D. Place of performance spans Seattle, Washington (primary operations); Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; Covington, Washington; Austin, Texas; and Kent, Washington.