Star Catcher Industries Raises $12.25 Million For Revolutionary Space Power Grid

Star Catcher Industries, an innovative startup focused on beaming solar energy to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit (LEO), has successfully raised $12.25 million in a seed funding round.

The startup was founded earlier this year by a team of experienced space industry professionals, including former Made In Space CEO Andrew Rush, Made In Space co-founder and former chief engineer Michael Snyder, and space investor Bryan Lyandvert.

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Star Catcher aims to establish a space-to-space power grid that delivers on-demand solar energy to client spacecraft.

“For the first time, technologically and from a business perspective, a space-to-space power grid makes sense...We have a good handle on the technology. And for the first time, there is a geographic concentration of customers in low-Earth orbit that all have a common need. They want more power.” - Andrew Rush, Founder

Revolutionary Solar Energy Delivery

Star Catcher’s innovative approach involves delivering broad solar spectrum energy directly to the solar arrays of client spacecraft.

This space-based energy grid is designed to provide spacecraft with five-to-10 times the amount of power they can generate on their own, addressing the increasing power demands of modern space missions.

Seed Funding and Expansion Plans

The seed round was co-led by Initialized Capital and B Capital, with Rogue VC also participating significantly. The funds will enable Star Catcher to double its current 11-person staff and carry out both ground and space-based demonstrations of its cutting-edge technology.

An initial ground-based demonstration is planned to showcase the complete end-to-end functionality of the system.

In December 2025, Star Catcher aims to demonstrate a sub-scale version of its power nodes in orbit.

“We’ll get flight heritage on collecting, conditioning and redirecting solar spectrum to power a client’s satellite,” - Andrew Rush, Founder

Unlocking New Potential in Space

The need for increased power in space is becoming more critical as spacecraft become more power-hungry.

“Being able to buy power for your spacecraft whenever and wherever you need it in LEO will expand opportunity and accelerate humanity realizing the potential of the second golden age of space,” - Andrew Rush, Founder

Star Catcher’s solar energy delivery service has a wide range of potential applications, including synthetic aperture radar satellites and direct-to-device communications constellations. Additionally, satellite operators often require power for edge processing of imagery and data, necessitating the use of modern GPUs in spacecraft.

“This is a big unlock for that sort of data processing in space,” - Andrew Rush, Founder

Investor Confidence

“Most any maturing sector requires solid, dependable, ubiquitous infrastructure to really take off. We’re confident Star Catcher will do for orbital power what SpaceX has done for launch.” - Andrew Sather, Initialized Capital Principal

“Satellite launch costs continue to fall, and power needs are accelerating with onboard processing. At the same time, energy demand is vastly outstripping the supply that current solar panels and batteries provide. Star Catcher’s founders are drawing from their extensive industry experience to tackle this opportunity with a unique approach.” - Howard Morgan, B Capital Chair and General Partner

With this substantial seed funding and a clear vision for the future, Star Catcher Industries is poised to challenge the way spacecraft receive and utilize power, paving the way for a new era of space exploration and technology.