## Space Start-up Icarus Secures $6.1 Million in Seed Funding for Robotic Labour Force **News Title:** Space start-up Icarus raises $6.1m in seed round **Report Provider:** The Irish Times **Author:** Ciara O'Brien **Published At:** 2025-09-17 14:02:31 ### Summary of Key Information: Icarus, an Irish cofounded robotics company, has successfully raised **$6.1 million (€5.1 million)** in a seed funding round. The company's ambitious goal is to develop a **general-purpose robotic labour force for space**. #### Key Findings and Conclusions: * **Mission:** Icarus aims to revolutionize space operations by developing intelligent robots capable of physically interacting with their environment to perform routine tasks. This includes work inside spacecraft and eventually large-scale orbital construction, such as satellite maintenance and infrastructure upkeep. * **Technology Focus:** The company is targeting **embodied AI**, where robots learn through real-world interaction and human demonstrations to carry out complex tasks autonomously. This contrasts with current space robotics, which Mr. Palmer, the Chief Technology Officer, describes as using "control methods from the 1980s." * **Addressing Bottlenecks:** Icarus identifies labor as a significant bottleneck in the growing space industry. With fewer than 100 active astronauts globally at any time, and existing rigid robotics requiring redesign for each new use case, the company believes its adaptable robots will free up highly skilled astronauts for discovery-focused tasks. * **Cost-Effectiveness:** Mr. Barajas, the Chief Executive, highlights the immense cost of human labor in space, stating that "hundred-thousand-dollar-an-hour talent" is currently performing "warehouse work in space," with millions more spent on their transportation. Icarus's robots are designed to handle this repetitive work. * **Progress and Partnerships:** Icarus has already developed multiple prototypes and has established partnerships with **NASA** and major commercial space station developers. #### Key Statistics and Metrics: * **Funding Raised:** $6.1 million (€5.1 million) * **Funding Round:** Seed funding * **Active Astronauts Globally:** Fewer than 100 at any given time. #### Material Financial Data: * **Seed Funding:** $6.1 million (€5.1 million) #### Investors: The seed round was backed by: * Soma Capital * Xtal * Nebular * Massive Tech Ventures #### Notable Risks or Concerns: While not explicitly stated as risks, the news highlights the current limitations of space robotics and the high cost of human labor in space, which Icarus aims to mitigate. #### Significant Trends or Changes: The news signifies a trend towards the application of advanced AI and robotics, specifically embodied AI, in the space sector to overcome operational limitations and drive economic growth. #### Critical Statements: * **Jamie Palmer (CTO):** “Every major robotics company on Earth is using embodied AI to create adaptable, learning robots, but space is still using control methods from the 1980s. We’re not just putting robots in space, we’re bringing the robotics revolution to space operations through systems that learn from human expertise.” * **Ethan Barajas (CEO):** “We’re asking hundred-thousand-dollar-an-hour talent to do warehouse work in space – and millions more to transport them there, all paid for by taxpayers. Our robots start by learning from human demonstrations, then handle the repetitive work while astronauts focus on discoveries only humans can make.” * **Aneel Ranadive (Managing Partner, Soma Capital):** “We’re excited to back the Icarus team as they solve one of the most critical bottlenecks in the space economy. As commercial space manufacturing moves to orbit, Icarus is positioned to capture significant value by freeing astronauts from routine tasks for high-leverage research and exploration.” #### Company Details: * **Company Name:** Icarus * **Founders:** Jamie Palmer (Irish) and Ethan Barajas * **Headquarters:** New York
Space start-up Icarus raises $6.1m in seed round
Read original at The Irish Times →Irish cofounded robotics company Icarus has raised $6.1 million (€5.1 million) in a seed funding round as it works towards developing a general-purpose robotic labour force for space. The company, which was founded by Irishman Jamie Palmer and Ethan Barajas, is being backed by Soma Capital and Xtal, with Nebular and Massive Tech Ventures also backing the round.
New York-headquartered Icarus is developing robots with built-in intelligence that can physically interact with their environment to carry out routine work in space, from tasks performed inside a spacecraft to eventually carrying out large-scale orbital construction, such as maintaining satellites or infrastructure in space.
The first generation of robots are remotely operated by humans, but are targeting embodied AI – machines that learn through real-world interaction with human demonstrations to carry out complex tasks autonomously. READ MORE“Every major robotics company on Earth is using embodied AI to create adaptable, learning robots, but space is still using control methods from the 1980s,” said Mr Palmer, who is the company’s chief technology officer.
“We’re not just putting robots in space, we’re bringing the robotics revolution to space operations through systems that learn from human expertise.”Although the space industry is expected to grow significantly, labour may be the bottleneck that weighs on the sector. According to Icarus, fewer than 100 astronauts are active globally at any time, while existing space robotics relies on rigid systems that must be redesigned for every new use case.
“We’re asking hundred-thousand-dollar-an-hour talent to do warehouse work in space – and millions more to transport them there, all paid for by taxpayers,” said Mr Barajas, the company’s chief executive. “Our robots start by learning from human demonstrations, then handle the repetitive work while astronauts focus on discoveries only humans can make.
” The company has already created multiple prototypes and has partnerships with NASA and major commercial space station developers.“We’re excited to back the Icarus team as they solve one of the most critical bottlenecks in the space economy,” said Aneel Ranadive, managing partner of Soma Capital. “As commercial space manufacturing moves to orbit, Icarus is positioned to capture significant value by freeing astronauts from routine tasks for high-leverage research and exploration.
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