Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨

Sci-Fi enjoyer | @starfishspace | Poyekhali! | M.S. Space Stuff | Policy nerd | @mattfellowship | opinions mine | 🚀🌹🌈 she/her

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

Today I learned that Sputnik may also be translated “spouse”

buddy.........., that’s my wife

[NASA @NASA]

It's our home.

This Earth Day, see our planet as our Artemis II astronauts saw it with these new images from the mission.

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

@TaylorCSargent Step 4 is a success indicator 😎

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

@Astro_Chuck Take me with you!

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

unparalleled

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

The Artemis II mission reminds me of these 1960s photos of NASA astronauts training in Iceland because they felt the terrain would be similar to what they'd encounter on the moon. The outfits are so great, even some 60 years later.

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

LFG

[Starfish Space @StarfishSpace]

Big news: we just closed a $100M+ Series B.

This funding will go toward building and operating our Otter missions, scaling to meet growing customer demand, and expanding our team.

We've had a lot to celebrate lately, from missions like Remora and Otter Pup 2 to new contracts with great customers like SDA and the Space Force. And we're just getting started. Our first full Otter mission is on track to fly later this year.

Read our full press release: https://t.co/QtLCHDEyVW

We’d like to thank our investors for helping us build the future of infrastructure in space.

@p72vc, @ShieldCapVC, @IndustriousVC, @nightdragon

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

It’s a great day to maximize constellation value 🛰️🤝🛰️

[Starfish Space @StarfishSpace]

We’re proud to share that Starfish has been awarded the first end-of-life disposal contract for a low Earth orbit satellite constellation in history.

This $52.5M contract from the Space Development Agency (@SemperCitiusSDA) allows us to build, launch and operate an Otter to provide end of life services for the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, maximizing the capabilities the constellation can deliver for the warfighter.

Learn more about this historic mission here: https://t.co/d76quxFCAu

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

@GoToImpulse @StarfishSpace LFG

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

LFG

[Starfish Space @StarfishSpace]

We’re not quite done celebrating our Remora mission! Here’s a look at what we saw through the eyes of our @Trl11_Inc camera system, while our Starfish software autonomously guided @GoToImpulse's LEO Express 2 Mira spacecraft through a close rendezvous with the LEO Express 1 Mira.

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

Satellite Servicing - not a new idea!

[Cady Coleman @Astro_Cady]

✨👨‍🚀#OTD 11/12/1984: Dale Gardner became the last #astronaut to use the "manned maneuvering unit" - floating freely from the #spaceshuttle to grab a broken #satellite.
@NASA @NASA_Astronauts #MMU #EVA #STS51A #space

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

anyone can have good tech, a great team, grand vision, etc. etc. Who can execute well? Who can execute well, on schedule? Who can execute well, on schedule, over & over & over? At the right price point, THAT is what can drive commercial adoption & lasting change

[Michael Madrid @buildingMadrid]

whenever we get asked about competition at Starfish Space (which is a reasonable question), this is what I think:

yes there are a handful of other companies working on satellite servicing (GEO life extension, LEO end-of-life disposal, etc)… and they have really talented people tackling these problems, too!

but the real competition any of us face is actually: the status quo.

right now, people don’t service their satellites. the choice that’s made time and again is to just throw away the satellite when it’s used up. that’s how humans have operated for 68 years. there weren’t really any other choices, and so even today the easiest thing for a customer to do is just… *not* service their satellite.

that’s what we’re (all) really competing against. we have to launch tech that works and 1) do it at a price that closes business cases, 2) do it on a schedule that is relevant for customer satellites.

we have to be better than the status quo, and we have to drive behavior change at scale in the industry.

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

https://t.co/jwyBOeBBWL

[TED-Ed @TED_ED]

NEW VIDEO: There are over 131 million pieces of debris currently whipping around the planet, and they pose a serious threat to the satellites that underpin Earth’s vital technologies.

So, how can we save our satellites and ourselves from all this trash? https://t.co/n44cMTML5d

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

We love you @TED_ED; LMK if you’d like further updates on our @StarfishSpace Otter Pup mission to dock with a satellite in space, demonstrating how we can clean up space junk in the future!

[Michael Madrid @buildingMadrid]

Otter Pup showing up in new TED videos as a surprise to us, calling it a cultural victory

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

It is once again Sputnik day!

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

Happy Sputnik day! OTD in 1957, our first orbiting “companion” launched from Baikonur 🚀

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

@buildingMadrid @mpalank101 @TaylorRhoten Flight zone, hell yeah 🛰️🤝🛰️

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

Gosh I love baseball and space people and watching the home team win and Seattle and pepperoni pizza and summertime

[Michael Madrid @buildingMadrid]

2nd annual Seattle Spaceball last night

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

@buildingMadrid i love typing the exact same company information in slightly different formats into slightly different portals over & over when i could be doing meaningful work, even though the information already exists elsewhere in NASA's databases 🥰 fav part of my job for sure

[Starfish Space @StarfishSpace]

Otter Pup 2 is on orbit and making progress towards its mission to attempt docking with another satellite. There are multiple milestones in this journey, some of which could take months to accomplish:

– Establish communications
– Complete commissioning
– Conduct long range rendezvous
– Operate in close proximity to client
– Attempt docking

We established radio communications with the satellite shortly after launch and it is operating nominally. Next up: commissioning Otter Pup 2 to ensure its hardware and software is working as expected.

Follow along as Otter Pup 2 attempts to dock with another satellite, bringing us closer to an interactive future in orbit.

[Starfish Space @StarfishSpace]

Otter Pup 2 separation confirmed - thanks for the ride, @SpaceX! 👋

Launch is an exciting milestone for Otter Pup 2, placing the satellite into low Earth orbit so it can work towards its mission: docking with another satellite and validating core Starfish technologies along the way.

If successful in these goals, Otter Pup 2 will bring us closer to an interactive future in orbit, shifting the paradigm for what humanity can accomplish as we venture out into the universe.

Stay tuned for more updates during the early phases of the Otter Pup 2 mission!

[Alex Coultrup, M.S. ✨ @AlexCoultrup]

Otter Pup 2 is now free-flying in space! 🧡

[Starfish Space @StarfishSpace]

We are excited to unveil Otter Pup 2! This mission will attempt the first-ever docking with a commercial satellite in low Earth orbit.

Building on the heritage of our Otter Pup 1 mission, Otter Pup 2 will conduct rendezvous, proximity operations, and ultimately attempt docking with an unprepared client satellite in LEO.

If successful, Otter Pup 2 won’t just make history - it will bring us closer to an interactive future in orbit, shifting the paradigm for what humanity can accomplish as we venture out into the universe.

In the coming months, we’ll be sharing more about the mission, and how it helps Starfish accomplish our broader goals. Check out the video below for a sneak peak, and read our full press release for more details.

Otter Pup 2 Press Release:
https://t.co/gDzcHCm0ad

[Michael Madrid @buildingMadrid]

Thanks for two rides now, B1071!