Project Theseus: Orbital Infrastructure Outfitting enabled by a Universal OSAM Connector for Cost-Effective In-Space Assembly

Starfish Space is building a future where autonomous robotic interaction in space is ubiquitous, enabling a thriving in-space community. An underlying capability critical to these missions is the ability to perform robotic assembly and construction by installing modular components that seamlessly interface to transfer and route power, data, fluids, and more. Starfish Space proposes a Phase I effort to identify an orbital assembly and outfitting mission of interest to NASA, characterize the mission’s corresponding Concept of Operations, perform a cost analysis of such a mission with and without OSAM services, and develop and test a functional prototype of a universal OSAM connector to enable the mission with a focus on assured connection, repeatability, and reliability. The innovations proposed here will dramatically boost NASA and industry’s ability to upgrade and outfit in-space infrastructure as needed – a key element in meeting NASA’s exploration objectives. Imagine a world in which autonomous robotic agents assemble and outfit ambitious structures in space by installing functional modules thanks to universal OSAM connectors prototyped in this work plan. Specifically, multiple commercial satellite operators have experienced hardware anomalies in recent years that could be solved by the type of modular hardware architectures and capabilities for in-orbit interaction that Starfish proposes to develop the groundwork for in this effort. In each case, the OSAM connector proposed for development in this Phase 1 would be a critical element of the mission. For commercial operators, Otter offers a cost-effective way to earn years of additional revenue at a fraction of the cost of building and launching a replacement satellite. Operators find this flexibility very valuable – and in the future, they could drive that cost down even further by upgrading individual subsystems from propulsion to the revenue payload.