Star Catcher’s Andrew Rush: Harnessing The Sun To Build The First Energy Grid In Space
On The Upstarts Podcast, a veteran space startup leader shares his vision for powering up a new wave of satellites and orbital labs.
Star Catcher CEO Andrew Rush grew up loving science fiction.
“I deeply believe in the fantastic future of space, and I deeply believe in a world where we can go vacation in LEO [low earth orbit], and take expeditions to climb mountains on the moon.”
His contribution towards turning such impossible-seeming visions into reality: access to power.
Energy is a precious commodity in orbit, for satellites and whatever data centers or manufacturing facilities tech companies can eventually send up.
“Everybody basically goes on camping trips. You bring your solar rays with you,” argues Rush. “Our daily lives are based on and enriched by space, regardless of who we are. So providing more power ultimately enriches humanity.”
Rush isn’t new to the problem. He was previously CEO of Made In Space, which built the first 3D printer used in space more than a decade ago. In 2024, he co-founded Star Catcher, raising $12 million to harness the Sun’s power by beaming more concentrated energy to solar panels and satellite arrays.
On The Upstarts Podcast, Rush talks about his orbital career journey from patent lawyer to space CEO. He explains why energy and power are such an important unlock for space innovation, and why space startups are slowly getting better at raising venture dollars. And he shares his Upstart Moment, as Star Catcher passed key checkpoints by completing optical tests at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center last year.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:38 Intro to Star Catcher
03:16 Space’s power problem
09:16 Football field-sized satellites
15:13 Star Catcher’s solution
21:48 Moonshot financing
26:15 Patience with a big vision
27:26 Andrew’s Upstart Moment
30:45 Lawyer to space CEO
33:54 Science fiction to real life
35:36 A founder’s daily whiplash
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A big thanks to Mercury, our presenting sponsor this season, for helping us tell Upstarts stories like this.
For paid subscribers, we break down our top 3 takeaways from our chat with Star Catcher below:
