SBIR/STTR Research Award
Nautilus Capture Mechanism Configuration: A Study to Compare Tolerances of Electrostatic and Gecko-like Adhesion of Spacecraft Docking System for Long-Duration Space Missions
Award amount
$1,500,000Program and phase
STTR · Phase IIAward year
2023Award details
- Awarding agency
- Department of Defense
- Branch
- Air Force
- Recipient company
- STARFISH SPACE, INC.
- Proposal award date
- 2023-07-17
- Contract end date
- 2024-10-17
- UEI
- QM7PN38M94U7
- Solicitation number
- X21.S
- Topic code
- AF21S-TCSO1
Research abstract
Starfish Space is developing the Nautilus capture mechanism, an end-effector that enables non-destructive capture of unprepared spacecraft surfaces using electrostatic adhesion. We are developing this universal docking hardware to enable In-Space Servicin
Technology keywords
Not reported
Other awards by this recipient
Verified by the same UEI. These are other public SBIR/STTR award pages, not a merged company record.
- Project Theseus: Orbital Infrastructure Outfitting enabled by a Universal OSAM Connector for Cost-Effective In-Space Assembly
- Starfish Space STRATFI
- Software and Hardware Development for "Manta", an Articulating Thruster Boom Enabling Responsive Servicing by the Otter Space Vehicle
- Nautilus: GEO Survivability of Novel In-Space Docking Hardware & Capture Mechanism for High-Radiation Orbital Environments
- CETACEAN: Autonomous and Modular Onboard Relative Navigation Software for On-Orbit Proximity Operations & Docking
Awards with the same topic code
Verified by an exact topic code match. This is not a text-similarity match.
- On-orbit AI-driven Automation for Range Characterization Analysis
- Biomimetic System for Autonomous On-Orbit Capture
- Development of an analysis tool for automatic defect detection during on-orbit additive manufacturing process
- REACCH: Adhering Arms Architecture for Unprepared Surface Capture
- R4 Use of Rotating Magnetic Fields to Detumble Irregular Asymmetric Space Debris-Like Objects
Research funding history
17 SBIR/STTR records share this UEI (2021–2025). Reported award amounts total $13,799,525. Reported amounts are not federal obligations.
Phases: Phase I, Phase II, Phase II – Direct to Phase II
Agencies: Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration