Starfish Space has raised $29 million in a new funding round led by Shield Capital. Major participants in the round include new investors Point72 Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, Aero X Ventures, Trousdale Ventures, and TRAC VC, as well as existing investors Munich Re Ventures, Toyota Ventures, NFX, and Industrious Ventures.
The additional funding will enable Starfish to complete the development of the first three Otter servicing vehicles, which will perform missions for Intelsat, the U.S. Space Force, and NASA. The completion of this round brings Starfish’s total funding to date to over $50 million. This round builds on multiple significant milestones achieved by Starfish throughout 2024, including concluding the Otter Pup mission with a successful rendezvous, winning a $37.5M STRATFI contract with the U.S. Space Force, signing a contract with Intelsat for a life extension mission, and partnering with NASA for a debris inspection mission in low Earth orbit.
Starfish is developing a suite of innovative software and hardware technologies to enable Otters to perform servicing missions. These include CETACEAN and CEPHALOPOD—proprietary software systems that provide precise autonomous navigation and docking capabilities, and Nautilus, a unique capture mechanism designed to dock with a wide variety of client satellites.
Starfish has grown to a team of 70 employees at its headquarters in Tukwila, Washington. The company’s first two Otter missions for Intelsat and the U.S. Space Force will launch to geostationary orbit in 2026, and begin providing services to client satellites thereafter.
“This new round of funding is a pivotal moment in the journey of Starfish Space, as it will allow us to launch the first Otter satellites to orbit,” said Austin Link, Co-Founder of Starfish. “These first Otters will change what is possible when it comes to operating satellites in space. We are excited to partner with an outstanding group of investors to make these missions happen, and proud of the growing support we’ve received from existing investors as part of this round.”
“On-orbit satellite servicing is a critical evolution to unlock the next level of value for defense and commercial space,” said Letitia ‘Tish’ Long, newly appointed Starfish Board member and Senior Advisor at Shield Capital. “Austin, Trevor, and the whole Starfish team have proven their ability to execute complex missions on orbit, and we are excited to be partnering with them as they deliver Otter for critical customer applications.”
