NASA-Backed Starfish Space Mission Loses Contact With Otter Spacecraft | Aviation Week

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Mark Carreau
November 04, 2026

Illustration of Otter in low Earth orbit

Illustration of Otter in low Earth orbit.

Credit: Starfish Space

Starfish Space’s NASA-backed satellite inspection mission has suffered a communications loss that cannot be recovered, according to a NASA mission status update. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (Sspicy) mission was contracted under NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research…

Mark Carreau

Mark is based in Houston, where he has written on aerospace for more than 25 years. While at the Houston Chronicle, he was recognized by the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation in 2006 for his professional contributions to the public understanding of America’s space program through news reporting.

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