MuRay raises €7.1M to see inside rocket engines
What's the deal? Hamburg-based deeptech startup MuRay TechDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised €7.1 million to build imaging technology that lets manufacturers see inside dense industrial components — including 3D-printed rocket engines and turbines — to detect defects.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2023 by researchers from DESY and CERNDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, MuRay uses laser-plasma accelerators to generate muon radiation for high-resolution 3D imaging. The goal: inspect critical metallic and ceramic parts, such as rocket engines, gas turbines, and jet engines, without taking them apart.
Why now? European space investment has surged. The Exploration Company raised $450 million in September for its reusable capsule and engine, while France's HyPrSpace opened a factory targeting 100 engines a year.
As the sector scales production, manufacturers need faster ways to verify components are safe — a gap MuRay's technology aims to fill.
What could go wrong? MuRay's €7.1 million is far smaller than recent propulsion rounds, and its significance hinges on execution. The company must prove its inspections are reliable and win customers in energy, defence, and aerospace.
The signal: MuRay is a bet on the industrial infrastructure behind the space boom rather than on rockets themselves. As Europe races to build more engines, the tools to inspect them quietly become part of the race.
Read more: Sifted
Image credit: jurvetson
