Star Catcher Names Mike Mineiro General Counsel
Star Catcher is entering uncharted territory as we build the power grid for space. That is why we have appointed Dr. Michael Mineiro as our General Counsel to guide us through the next evolution of the orbital economy. One of the most accomplished space lawyers in the world, Mineiro brings nearly two decades of legal, regulatory, and policy leadership across Capitol Hill, the White House, commercial space, and major law firms.
As General Counsel, Mineiro will lead all of Star Catcher’s legal and regulatory affairs, from corporate law and government contracting to regulatory compliance and intellectual property, while advising the executive team as the company scales. He first worked with Star Catcher as outside counsel, where the novelty of the company’s technology and business model drew him to join full-time.
“To date, humanity has only created new economic value in space by moving zeros and ones between Earth and orbit,” said Mineiro. “Power is the foundational need behind every next-generation space company, from on-orbit manufacturing to orbital data centers. Star Catcher could be the unlock that moves the space economy from 1.0 to 2.0.”
Mineiro has built his career working in cutting-edge space innovation. At NOAA, he worked on international affairs for the nation’s weather satellite programs and advised on the regulation of commercial remote sensing space systems. He was the first space lawyer hired by the Institute for Defense Analyses’ Science and Technology Policy Institute, which supports the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
On Capitol Hill, Mineiro served as Counsel and later Staff Director and Senior Counsel for the House Space Subcommittee, where he worked on the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015, which included the world’s first domestic law recognizing property rights to space resources. At the White House, he served as a Senior Policy Analyst and liaison to the National Space Council.
Mineiro then joined HawkEye 360 before its first satellites launched, and rose to Senior Vice President of Legal, Regulatory, and Government Affairs. Most recently, he served as outside legal counsel to space companies as a Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig’s space law practice.
Mineiro holds three law degrees, including a master’s and doctorate from McGill University, and has published on a variety of topics including export controls, the law of armed conflict in space, and the legal frameworks of commercial spaceflight. He was also recently elected to the Board of Directors for the International Institute of Space Law.
“Building the first power grid in space requires the technical expertise for operations and regulatory expertise to scale,” said Star Catcher CEO Andrew Rush. “There isn’t a more qualified person to support Star Catcher as we build foundational infrastructure for the space industry.”
The appointment coincided with the October 1 launch of Protostar, Star Catcher’s prototype power node, testing our technology stack on orbit. Protostar aims to beam optical power between two free-flying spacecraft for the first time, laying the foundation for a grid that will deliver up to 10 times more on-demand power to satellites with zero retrofits required.
Star Catcher has also signed 10 commercial Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) since its founding in 2024. Neither these nor regulatory pathways for space power production existed before, and Star Catcher is defining both.
Satellites need more power than ever to establish next-generation capabilities in space. Star Catcher is building the energy infrastructure to deliver that power, and with Mineiro on board, the legal and regulatory foundation to match.
For more information, please visit www.star-catcher.com
For press inquiries, please contact Daniel Sherman at press@star-catcher.com
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About Star Catcher
Star Catcher is an energy company building a power grid in space, providing the infrastructure to enable the next generation of spacecraft and advanced missions. Star Catcher removes power as a limiting factor for spacecraft, allowing continuous mission execution, increased operational endurance, and the ability to support higher power payloads without redesigning existing platforms. Founded in 2024 by Andrew Rush and Michael Snyder (Made In Space, Redwire), alongside Bryan Lyandvert (T-Bird Capital, Amazon), the company has raised $88M to date from B Capital, Shield Capital, Cerberus Ventures, Initialized Capital, among others. Based in Jacksonville, FL, the company currently holds the world record for optical power beaming.