---
title: 'Senior/Principal Mechanical Engineer at Starpath Robotics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-principal-mechanical-engineer-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-mz63ayjxvz5b'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Senior/Principal Mechanical Engineer at Starpath Robotics

- **Company:** Starpath Robotics
- **Location:** Hawthorne, CA
- **Compensation:** $140k–$200k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-07-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/starpath.space/94e1c70d-0c2e-4d3f-91f9-57e4053f710a

## Job description

## About Starpath

Starpath Robotics is developing a full-stack solution for commercial scale rocket propellant production on the Moon and Mars. We are building one of the key enabling technologies that will make humans a multi-planet species.

If high ownership, fast pace, working with hardware, and solving challenging technical problems sound like a dream come true, come join the team!

Senior/Principal Mechanical Engineer

In this role, you will be responsible for the development of critical mechanical systems on Starpath’s Rover platform. Depending on your prior work experience, you may work on a variety of systems, such as: (1) low-cost, high-reliability electromechanical actuators, (2) various structures and passive mechanisms, or (3) thermal control systems and autonomy hardware integration. You will own these systems from developing design requirements through to flight.

Responsibilities:

- Own architectures, systems, subsystems, and components from requirements to deployment
- Conduct trade studies and perform first-order calculations to define system requirements
- Determine qualification testing criteria in accordance with spaceflight testing standards
- Validate subsystems & components via testing in a simulated launch/Lunar environments
- Work cross-functionally with adjacent teams to incorporate electrical/thermal/software requirements while meeting integration timeless and system milestones
- Identify & action high-level improvements to program operation and direction

Required Qualifications:

- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- 5+ years of experience developing hardware systems for space applications
- Experience with CAD (NX, Catia, SolidWorks, etc) and analysis (ANSYS, ABAQUS, etc) tools
- Working knowledge of engineering materials, manufacturing processes, and structural analysis
- Strong technical communication and the ability to work in a fast-paced team environment

Preferred Qualifications:

- Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineer, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field
- 10+ years of experience developing hardware systems for space applications
- Track record of owning spaceflight hardware across the entire product lifecycle (design, analysis, qualification, and operation)
- Extensive experience with one of the following:
- Space-grade electromechanical rotary actuators and drive systems
- Space mechanisms (passive, flexures, deployables, etc)
- Rigid body dynamics and/or vibration analysis
- Experience running shock, vibration, thermal, and other environmental qualification campaigns

Position Details:

- Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA
- Compensation scales with candidate experience
- Senior: salary base rate is $140-$180k/yr, plus equity package
- Principal: salary base rate is $160-$200k/yr, plus equity package
- PTO and health/dental/vision coverage include

## EAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

## About Starpath Robotics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Starpath Robotics designs and manufactures robotic propellant production factories for the Moon and Mars, aiming to reduce the cost of deep-space transport and enable a self-sustaining human city on Mars.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Hawthorne, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Saurav Shroff (CEO & Co-Founder), Mihir Gondhalekar (Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Space Research and Technology, Air Transportation, Space Travel, Robotics
- **Target customers**: B2B – space agencies (NASA), commercial space companies (e.g., Starship operators), satellite operators, and future Mars/Moon infrastructure developers.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Building a self-sustaining city on Mars” by producing propellant and infrastructure in space.

## Products & Services
- **Rover (R10)**: Autonomous lunar ice prospecting rover that excavates and delivers hundreds of kilograms of icy regolith. Built for NASA testing and future lunar operations.
- **Refinery System**: Full-stack hardware system for producing and distributing propellant (oxygen, hydrogen, methane) from water ice on the Moon and Mars.
- **Starlight Solar**: Space-rated solar panels that are 90% cheaper than traditional alternatives, with lead times of weeks instead of months. Available for purchase now.
- **Starlight Air**: The world’s lightest space solar panel (announced March 2026). Engineered for high-efficiency power generation.
- **Shadow Voyager**: Exploration vehicle designed for permanently shadowed regions at the Lunar South Pole.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding – $12.0M (Seed round closed August 20, 2024)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: 
  - Fusion Fund (lead investor in Seed round per LinkedIn)
  - 8VC and 10 other investors (per Crunchbase)
  - Contrary, Valhalla Ventures
  - NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (testing partnership)
  - Atomic-6 (development contract for deployable lunar boom)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Headcount grew 73.7% year-over-year to 28 employees (LinkedIn, 2026)
  - Successful thermal vacuum chamber testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (2025)
  - Launch of Starlight Air solar panels (2026)
  - Active hiring for technical roles including first Technical Recruiter

## Competitive Advantages
- **Ex-SpaceX founding team**: Deep expertise in space hardware and propulsion.
- **Full-stack approach**: Covers rover mining, propellant refinery, and solar power – a vertically integrated solution for in-situ resource utilization.
- **NASA collaboration**: Early access to NASA’s test facilities (e.g., 20-ft thermal vacuum chamber) and credibility.
- **Cost disruption**: Starlight solar panels claim 90% cost reduction vs. traditional space solar.
- **First-mover on lunar ice**: Autonomous rover designed to establish the first American claim to lunar ice resources.

## Strategic Focus
- **Lunar testbed**: Use the Moon as a proving ground for Mars propellant production technology, leveraging lunar water ice.
- **City-scale infrastructure**: Scale from propellant production to energy grids, mining capacity, and life support for a self-sustaining Mars city.
- **Revenue diversification**: Selling Starlight solar panels and rover services to generate near-term revenue while pursuing long-term Mars goals.
- **Talent scaling**: Aggressively hiring to grow the engineering team (technical roles are 48% of workforce).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Startup environment with a bold mission (“build a city on Mars”). High ownership and fast iteration – interns are expected to do “whatever needs doing.”
- **Growth**: Company growing rapidly (+73.7% YoY headcount); opportunities for early employees to take on significant responsibility.
- **Technical depth**: Team includes alumni from SpaceX, Boston Dynamics, Anduril, Astrobotic – strong engineering culture.
- **Work location**: Hawthorne, CA (HQ) with additional office in Burlingame, CA. Onsite presence expected (manufacturing and testing require hands-on work).
- **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but startup equity and the chance to work on hardware that goes to the Moon and Mars.
- **Recent hiring signals**: Actively recruiting Technical Recruiter, software engineers, and rover engineers – indicating scaling phase.

## Sources
1. [starpath.space](https://www.starpath.space/)
2. [starpath.space/about](https://starpath.space/about/)
3. [crunchbase.com](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/starpath-robotics)
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/starpathspace)

## Other roles at Starpath Robotics

- [Intern/Associate Engineer - All Roles](https://feeny.ai/job/intern-associate-engineer-all-roles-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-x72ernec0zvg) — Hawthorne, CA
- [Chemical / Materials Engineer – Space Solar](https://feeny.ai/job/chemical-materials-engineer-space-solar-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-pjhey2tmt22v) — Hawthorne, CA
- [CNC Machinist Setup & Operation – MILL](https://feeny.ai/job/cnc-machinist-setup-operation-mill-starpath-robotics-future-factory-z0f3k4xnmat8) — Future Factory
- [CNC Machinist Setup & Operation – LATHE](https://feeny.ai/job/cnc-machinist-setup-operation-lathe-starpath-robotics-future-factory-fej8ssxcxj3d) — Future Factory
- [Senior CNC Programmer & Prototype Machinist – MILL](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-cnc-programmer-prototype-machinist-mill-starpath-robotics-future-factory-0f5924ch61c5) — Future Factory
- [Senior CNC Programmer & Prototype Machinist – LATHE](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-cnc-programmer-prototype-machinist-lathe-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-thk919345d3r) — Hawthorne, CA
- [Lead Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-designer-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-axk08ca5qr0j) — Hawthorne, CA
- [Senior Flight Software Engineer - Embedded Linux](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-flight-software-engineer-embedded-linux-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-6s0rba5b8hd2) — Hawthorne, CA
- [Senior Robotics Software Engineer – Lunar Rover Localization](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-robotics-software-engineer-lunar-rover-localization-starpath-robotics-sgmwr7nk47dk) — Hawthorne, CA
- [Electrical Engineer - Space Solar](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineer-space-solar-starpath-robotics-hawthorne-t4cv2by8p1mk) — Hawthorne, CA