{"title":"D-Orbit vs Starfish Space: Servicing & tugs compared","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/compare/d-orbit-vs-starfish-space","comparison":"D-Orbit ranks 50 on the Space 100 with a score of 74; Starfish Space ranks 58 with 72. D-Orbit is ahead on deployment, production and commercials. Starfish Space is ahead on firepower and leverage. Level on progress, technology and positioning. D-Orbit is based in Fino Mornasco, Italy, Starfish Space in United States. Starfish Space: Early. D-Orbit is named in 3 signals and Starfish Space in 17.","companies":[{"name":"D-Orbit","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/d-orbit","city":"Fino Mornasco","country":"Italy","stage":null,"founded":null,"last_round":null,"positioning":"D-Orbit is an Italian in-space-logistics company whose ION Satellite Carrier is the most-flown commercial orbital transfer vehicle line (multi-mission heritage since 2020, for last-mile deployment and hosted payloads), used by Starfish's Otter Pup as a rendezvous partner twice. It is the EU last-mile logistics incumbent, though its 2026 evidence is partner-side (Starfish, Leaf Space) rather than company releases, with Marubeni among backers. Revenue is estimated at 10-100m (a dedicated financial pass owed).","assessed_in":{"domain":"Space","list":"Space 100","rank":50,"score":74,"tier":"member","scores":{"gate_ne":["firepower"],"leverage":6,"position":8,"progress":10,"firepower":6,"commercial":6,"deployment":8,"production":6,"technology":8},"why":"D-Orbit operates the ION Satellite Carrier, providing in-space transportation, satellite deployment, hosted payloads and orbital logistics services.","segment":"Servicing & tugs","layer":"Satellites & spacecraft"},"signals_total":3,"facts_total":21},{"name":"Starfish Space","url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/starfish-space","city":null,"country":"United States","stage":"Early","founded":null,"last_round":null,"positioning":"Starfish Space is a US satellite-servicing company (ex-Blue Origin founders) with three demonstration missions flown (Otter Pup 1 and 2 RPO, and Remora with Impulse, a December 2025 autonomous approach to ~1,250m with no human in the loop), and its first operational Otters launching in 2026 for SES, NASA, and the US Space Force. It holds the servicing category's contract stack: a $52.5M SDA award (January 2026, the first-ever contracted end-of-life disposal for a LEO constellation), a $54.5M USSF GEO vehicle, and an Intelsat life-extension contract, though it has not yet performed a commercial docking. It raised a $110M Series B (April 2026, Point72-led, >$150M total).","assessed_in":{"domain":"Space","list":"Space 100","rank":58,"score":72,"tier":"member","scores":{"leverage":8,"position":8,"progress":10,"firepower":8,"commercial":4,"deployment":5,"production":4,"technology":8},"why":"Starfish Space builds autonomous spacecraft tugs for in-orbit docking, satellite servicing and life extension, flown on U.S. Space Force missions.","segment":"Servicing & tugs","layer":"Satellites & spacecraft"},"signals_total":17,"facts_total":11}],"note":"Assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence; facts and signals carry their sources."}