A satellite meant to approach other spacecraft and examine them has become unreachable itself. NASA reported on 3 November that it and Starfish Space had concluded that the company's Otter spacecraft could not be recovered. Their analysis points to software keeping its radio switched off. The statement concerns a loss of communications in orbit, after a successful launch and deployment.
Otter flew from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 1 October aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. It shared the Transporter-18 flight with other payloads. The launch provider's mission timeline lists Otter separating from the rocket just over an hour into the flight. Starfish established initial contact with the spacecraft.
The trouble arose during commissioning. This is the period when operators switch systems on, check that instruments respond and prepare a spacecraft for its regular work. Starfish lost contact during this phase and could not restore a two-way connection. Receiving that first signal and completing the checks needed for operations were separate milestones.
NASA and Starfish traced the problem to the system designed to detect faults and respond to them. They say it is incorrectly keeping the radio off. A ground crew needs a working communications link to exchange instructions and information with a satellite. In this case the operator could not bring that link back.
The mission was to demonstrate how one spacecraft could navigate towards inactive US space objects in low Earth orbit and inspect them. It brought Starfish's navigation and propulsion technologies together on an Otter spacecraft for the first time. The plans also included testing a movable robotic boom. Those objectives describe the intended work and should not be read as a list of completed inspections.
What it means for you. In a launch report, check which milestone a claim refers to. A rocket can deliver a payload correctly even if that payload later fails to carry out its mission. Starfish intends to gather inspection data on future flights, but those plans cannot replace observations this spacecraft was meant to make.