Full-Time

Senior CNC Programmer & Prototype Machinist

3-Axis & 5-Axis Expert

Posted on 10/3/2025

Starpath Robotics

Starpath Robotics

11-50 employees

Robotic ISRU factories producing lunar propellant

Compensation Overview

$40 - $53/hr

No H1B Sponsorship

West Athens, CA, USA

In Person

US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance, Canada Citizenship, Canada Top Secret Clearance, UK Citizenship, UK Top Secret Clearance Required

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Required Skills
CAD
GD&T
Requirements
  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • 5+ years of CNC programming and machining experience.
  • Deep mastery of 3-axis CNC milling, with exposure to 4th-axis rotary, and 5-axis machining (preferred).
  • Proficiency in Haas control operation and programming (G-code).
  • Experience with Mastercam (preferred), Fusion, or NX CAM, though strong skills in other CAM platforms are acceptable.
  • Ability to lift up to 25 pounds unassisted.
  • Frequent standing, bending, grasping, pulling, and other shop-floor activities required.
  • U.S. Person status required (citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) due to export control regulations.
Responsibilities
  • Program and operate CNC mills (3-axis, 4th-axis rotary, 5-axis preferred) to support precision aerospace robotics manufacturing.
  • Create, edit, and optimize programs for Haas G-code, using Fusion CAM (Autodesk product), Mastercam, or NX CAM (other CAM system experience accepted).
  • Interpret engineering drawings, CAD/CAM/.STP/3D models, and GD&T requirements to produce efficient machining strategies.
  • Generate tool lists.
  • Perform set ups and operate CNC machines.
  • Maintain records of mark ups on prints, save programs, setup sheets, and tool lists.
  • Select and optimize tooling, adjusting speeds/feeds for efficiency and tool life.
  • Design and machine fixture tooling as required.
  • Work closely with engineering teams, production teams, and provide feedback to improve manufacturability.
  • Take ownership of the machine shop, be an asset in troubleshooting, and optimization.
  • Mentor teammates and share best practices to raise the bar across the team.
  • Pitch in beyond machining when needed — including assisting with assembly of our products — to ensure team success.
  • Help with necessary maintenance, cleanliness, up-keep and repairs of machinery to the best of your ability.
Desired Qualifications
  • 8+ years of CNC programming and machining experience.
  • Expertise in programming and operating multi-axis mill and lathe CNC machines.
  • Strong background in complex surfacing, swarf cuts, contours, and aerospace style applications.
  • Experience optimizing processes for productivity, quality, and repeatability.
  • Familiarity with feeds/speeds/tooling types for different material types; 6061/7075 aluminum, 300/400 series stainless steel, carbon steels, Inconel, plastics, & similar.
  • Experience mentoring others or leading shop projects.

Starpath Robotics designs and builds robotic factories that can operate on the Moon and Mars to mine local resources, refine them into rocket propellant, and distribute it as a space refueling infrastructure. Its product works by deploying autonomous or remotely operated factory units that extract water ice, process it into propellant, and supply rockets and landers with fuel, enabling in-situ production of propellant for deep-space missions. Unlike others that may offer individual components, Starpath aims to provide a full-stack hardware system for ISRU-based propellant production and distribution as a service, targeting both private space companies and government agencies. The company’s goal is to establish a space refueling station that significantly lowers the cost of moving payloads in deep space by eliminating the need to launch heavy fuel from Earth, supporting the vision of long-term off-world colonies and multi-planet humanity.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Seed

Total Funding

$12M

Headquarters

Hawthorne, California

Founded

2022

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Starpath secured $12M seed from 8VC and Fusion Fund plus $800K NASA grant.
  • Starpath plans full-scale demo by 2026 for Starship south pole launch.
  • Starpath scales solar production to exceed global supply by 2027.

What critics are saying

  • SpaceX Starship integrates internal ISRU, eliminating Starpath propellant need in 12-24 months.
  • Blue Origin Blue Moon adopts proprietary ISRU, bypassing Starpath refueling in 18-36 months.
  • NASA CLPS awards ISRU to ispace and Intuitive Machines, blocking Starpath funding in 6-12 months.

What makes Starpath Robotics unique

  • Starpath manufactures robotic factories mining lunar water ice into propellant for Starship vehicles.
  • Starpath partners with Atomic-6 for deployable boom in Lunar Power Tower solar system.
  • Starpath produces Starlight space-rated solar panels at $11.20 per watt, 90% below industry prices.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Vacation

Company Equity

Meal Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-4%

1 year growth

-7%

2 year growth

9%
Military & Aerospace Electronics
Nov 26th, 2024
Starpath Robotics taps Atomic-6 to develop deployable boom for lunar solar power tech

Starpath Robotics taps Atomic-6 to develop deployable boom for lunar solar power tech.

SpaceDaily
Nov 25th, 2024
Atomic-6 partners with Starpath Robotics for Lunar Power Tower development

Atomic-6 has entered into a development contract with Starpath Robotics to design and build a deployable composite boom for Starpath's advanced solar power generation system.

Los Angeles Business Journal
Aug 26th, 2024
Starpath Raises $12 Million Seed Round

Starpath raises $12 million seed round.

Business Insider
Aug 20th, 2024
Starpath Robotics raises $12M seed funding

Starpath Robotics, founded by former SpaceX engineers, raised $12 million in seed funding to develop reusable lunar spacecraft technology. The startup plans to mine lunar ice for water to create rocket propellant, enabling spacecraft to refuel and return to Earth. The funding, co-led by 8VC and Fusion Fund, will support a new facility in Hawthorne, CA, R&D, and hiring. Starpath aims to install its technology on a Moon-bound spacecraft by mid-2026.

TechCrunch
Aug 20th, 2024
Starpath accelerates moon water mining plans with $12M in funding | TechCrunch

Starpath Robotics wants to make the moon a refueling station for rockets, lunar landers and other spacecraft.

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