NASA has begun the SSPICY mission to test technologies for inspecting inactive space objects in low Earth orbit, in a step aimed at improving understanding of satellites and rocket bodies that could become sources of orbital debris. The mission launched on October 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with support from NASA and under the direction of Starfish Space.
The mission uses the Otter 24C, a small spacecraft about the size of a washing machine, to approach up to four inactive U.S.-origin space objects. Approach and inspection operations are scheduled to begin in early 2027, at distances of hundreds of yards from each object, with limited reliance on commands from ground controllers.
Navigation and Inspection Technologies
Otter will combine autonomous guidance and control software, computer vision and sensors to make real-time navigation decisions while approaching the targets. During the inspections, the spacecraft will measure each object’s rotation rate, orientation and surface condition. This information could help assess the status of inactive objects before subsequent servicing or removal missions are carried out.
The spacecraft will also use an electric propulsion system to travel between targets, along with a steerable robotic arm that tests directing the thrust engines to enable precise maneuvers between different orbits. NASA says the mission represents the first time these technologies have been tested together as an integrated system.
What Changes in Practice?
SSPICY is not intended to touch or dock with the satellites. Instead, it focuses on demonstrating the ability of a small spacecraft to approach safely and collect data about objects whose internal systems cannot be relied upon to guide them or communicate with them. This makes the mission an early technical test for operations that could eventually include repairing or servicing objects in orbit, and possibly towing them into the atmosphere for safe disposal.
The significance of the test lies in integrating multiple elements within a single mission: autonomous navigation, computer vision, electric propulsion and precise control of thrust direction. However, the source has not yet announced operational results, and the system’s ability to handle differences in rotation rates, surface conditions and the actual circumstances of the targets will remain among the issues clarified during the inspections in 2027.
Participating Organizations and Funding
Starfish Space developed the Otter 24C spacecraft and operates it during the mission. NASA funds and manages the mission through the Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, while the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program helped fund the early development of the spacecraft’s key technologies and capabilities.
The mission comes amid a growing need to monitor the near-Earth environment, as inactive satellites and rocket bodies can break apart or collide with other objects, generating fragments ranging from large pieces to small particles. SSPICY does not provide a final solution to the problem, but it tests essential components needed to make inspection, servicing and removal more autonomous in the future.