Starfish Space sends its first full-scale Otter satellite-servicing vehicle into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying 130 payloads on the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. After commissioning, Otter will rendezvous with and inspect inoperable satellites under NASA’s $15 million SSPICY mission, demonstrating capabilities that could also support active-satellite checks or defunct-satellite disposal. The Tukwila startup is preparing additional Otter missions for the Space Development Agency, commercial operators, and the U.S. Space Force.
Cowboy Space leases a 291,035-square-foot industrial facility in Kent, Wash., to produce hardware for its planned constellation of AI data center satellites. The former Costco distribution center is slated for conversion into a manufacturing hub for space and rocket development, an operation Newmark says is expected to add 300 jobs. Cowboy plans to send its rockets into low Earth orbit as early as 2028, with upper stages serving as solar-powered data centers.
Aetherflux rebranded as Cowboy Space and announced a $275 million Series B. The company is expanding into orbital data centers and launch infrastructure with its Stampede constellation.