TLDR:
- Starpath Robotics, based in Hawthorne, raised $12 million in seed funding for moon mining technology.
- The funding came from venture capital investors such as 8VC, Fusion Fund, and Day One Ventures.
Starpath Robotics Inc., a startup in Hawthorne focused on developing hardware for moon mining, recently secured $12 million in seed funding. This investment was led by venture capital firms including 8VC, Fusion Fund, Day One Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures, and Indicator Ventures. Co-founded by former SpaceX employees Saurav Shroff and Mihir Gondhalekar, Starpath received $500,000 from NASA for their innovative robotic mining tool as part of the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge.
The company plans to build a full-scale terrestrial demonstration of its system and accelerate testing on the Moon. The operational system includes a solar tower, a fleet of rovers to collect material, and an autonomous processing plant to extract water and oxygen from ice. With uncertainties about water ice distribution on the Moon, Starpath over-engineered its machines to handle various mining sites efficiently.
Investors like Zach White from 8VC expressed excitement about backing Starpath Robotics and CEO Saurav Shroff’s dedication to solving significant problems in space exploration. The company’s innovative approach and unique technology have positioned them as a promising player in the space industry.
