Gregory Falco

Starfish Space Raises $7M for satellite servicing tug

  1. Space vehicle
  2. Article
    1. Brand: Starfish Space
    2. Title: Founded by Blue Origin veterans, Starfish Space raises $7M for satellite servicing tug
    3. Website: Geekwire
    4. Link: https://www.geekwire.com/2021/founded-blue-origin-veterans-starfish-space-raises-7m-satellite-servicing-tug/
    5. Summary
      1. Investors have supplied $7 million to Starfish Space to develop a space tug
      2. Starfish Space is creating the Otter space tug, a small satellite that could connect to other objects in orbit and move those objects.
      3. This would allow space craft to stay functional for longer and to take care of abandoned or old space craft.
      4. While there are others working to develop such a craft, Starfish Space is developing an accompanying software known as Cephalopod that would perform rendezvous, docking, and proximity operations. It is currently being tested on-orbit with the thrusting system of Orbit Fab’s Tanker-001 Tenzing refueling satellite.
  3. Security Implications
    1. Nation States could attempt to gain access control over such a satellite to sabotage other nation’s space craft. They might do so through something like and APT.
    2. Terrorist Groups/Ideological Actors could try to hijack the communications or ground station for the space tug to destroy other space craft to make some statement in alignment with their ideologies/priorities.
  4. Impact
    1. Attacks against this space craft may most impact the critical systems, but could very easily also negatively impact the critical networks and data since this space tug would be working with other space craft.

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