The most critical flaws are often the ones you cannot see. For manufacturers of safety-critical components like 3D-printed rocket engines and gas turbines, that has meant relying on X-ray imaging with known physical limits or resorting to destructive testing, cutting open a finished part to verify its internal integrity. A Hamburg-based deep-tech startup, MuRay, is betting that a subatomic particle called a muon can change that calculus, offering a non-destructive look inside materials where conventional methods stop.
Founded just last year as a spinout from the DESY research center, MuRay is developing what it calls Active Muon Imaging. The technology combines a controlled beam of muons,particles similar to electrons but about 200 times heavier,with particle detectors and AI reconstruction software to generate 3D images of dense industrial components [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. The company claims its method can penetrate meters of steel, ceramics, and advanced composites in minutes, a task that would take hours or be impossible with standard X-rays [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. With a recently closed €7.1 million funding round, the team is now staffing up to turn a laboratory technique into a commercial service, with its first industrial scans planned for 2027 [Startup City Hamburg, October 2026].
From DESY Beamlines to Factory Floors
The company’s path to market is a textbook example of deep-tech commercialization, moving from fundamental research to a defined industrial wedge. MuRay’s initial service will not use its own proprietary hardware. Instead, it plans to launch next year by utilizing existing electron beam infrastructure at DESY in Hamburg to generate its muon beams for customer scans [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. This asset-light approach allows it to begin generating revenue and validating its AI reconstruction models with real customer parts before the colossal engineering challenge of deploying its own full-scale systems.
That next phase involves building what the company calls a “first full-scale system” incorporating a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA), a compact device that uses powerful lasers to accelerate particles. This system is slated for 2029 [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. The roadmap underscores the staged de-risking of the venture: prove the software and service model with shared infrastructure, then scale with owned hardware. The company’s hiring spree reflects this dual-track focus, with open roles spanning AI reconstruction engineers and specialists in laser-plasma accelerator design [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF].
The Team Behind the Muon
MuRay’s founding duo brings complementary pedigrees from the worlds of muon application and accelerator physics. Dr. Andi Hektor, one of the company’s co-CEOs, is a serial entrepreneur in the niche field of muon imaging. He previously co-founded GScan, an Estonian company that uses naturally occurring cosmic-ray muons to scan large structures like shipping containers [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. His co-founder and co-CEO, Dr. Kristjan Põder, led work on laser-plasma accelerators for industrial and medical applications at DESY [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. The team’s institutional ties to DESY, CERN, and Imperial College London provide a credible foundation for the complex physics and engineering at play [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF].
This academic and research network has also been instrumental in securing early commercial partnerships. MuRay lists Siemens Energy, Airbus, Caelora, and the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research as commercial partners [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. While the nature of these engagements is not detailed in public reports, they signal serious interest from the very sectors,aerospace, energy, and advanced manufacturing,that stand to benefit most from the technology.
Funding a Multi-Year Hardware Build
In late October 2026, MuRay announced a €7.1 million financing package, a blend of private venture capital and public grants that is typical for capital-intensive European deep tech [Startup City Hamburg, October 2026]. The breakdown reveals a syndicate betting on both the team and the long-term platform.
| Round Component | Amount | Lead / Key Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Private Seed Round | €3.5 million | First Momentum Ventures, Caelora (Marvel Fusion) |
| Public Funding (Grants) | €3.6 million | Includes Horizon Europe grant |
| Total (Oct 2026) | €7.1 million | Superangel, Mätch VC, Arcas VC, Tiny VC, Nordic Science Investments also participated [Startup City Hamburg, October 2026] |
The lead private investors are notable. First Momentum Ventures is a Vienna-based firm focused on early-stage deep tech, while Caelora is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marvel Fusion, a company working on laser-driven nuclear fusion [Startup City Hamburg, October 2026]. The latter suggests strategic alignment with the core laser-plasma acceleration technology. The company has stated it plans to grow its team to about 25 people by the end of 2027 [daily.dev, October 2026].
The Risks Inherent in Replacing the Standard of Care
For all its ambition, MuRay’s journey is paved with the significant hurdles facing any company attempting to displace an entrenched industrial standard. The non-destructive testing (NDT) market for high-value components is conservative, governed by strict certification standards and a deep reliance on proven methodologies like computed tomography (CT) scanning and ultrasound. Convincing quality assurance managers in aerospace or energy to adopt a novel, physics-based technique for flight-critical or turbine components will be a steep climb, requiring exhaustive validation and likely regulatory approvals.
The company’s planned 2029 hardware system also represents a formidable engineering milestone. Designing and building a reliable, industrial-grade laser-plasma accelerator is a non-trivial feat. Delays or performance shortfalls in this system could push out the timeline for achieving the cost and throughput advantages needed for widespread adoption. Furthermore, while the initial focus is sharp, the company’s stated longer-term ambitions span security scanning and even medical diagnostics [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. Such diversification, while potentially lucrative, could dilute focus from the hard task of dominating its initial industrial wedge.
What the Next Twelve Months Will Prove
The coming year is a critical proof-of-concept window for MuRay. The planned 2027 launch of its imaging service using DESY’s beamlines is the first real test of its commercial thesis. Success will be measured not in press releases, but in the signing of paid pilot contracts with its named partners and the generation of actionable, trusted inspection data for those customers. The company must demonstrate that its AI can consistently and accurately reconstruct complex internal geometries from muon scattering data, a task far removed from academic publication.
Financially, the €7.1 million war chest must fund both the service launch and the parallel R&D for the 2029 accelerator system. Given the capital demands of hardware development, another substantial funding round is a likely milestone on the 2028 horizon. The company’s ability to attract follow-on investment will hinge almost entirely on the traction and technical validation achieved in the next 12 months.
For manufacturers in aerospace and energy, the standard of care today involves a trade-off. They can use X-rays or CT scans, which have limited penetration in dense metals, or they can employ destructive testing, sacrificing a finished part to ensure the integrity of its batch. Both approaches carry cost, time, and reliability constraints. MuRay’s bet is that a more penetrating, non-destructive eye will prove invaluable for the complex, additive-manufactured components that are becoming central to these industries. If its controlled muon beam can reliably find the flaws that other methods miss, it won’t just be selling a scan, it will be selling confidence in the very heart of a machine.
Sources
- [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, Unknown] Product, team, and roadmap details
- [Startup City Hamburg, October 2026] 7.1 million euros for deeptech startup MuRay in new funding round | https://startupcity.hamburg/news-events/news/71-million-euros-for-deeptech-startup-muray-in-new-funding-round
- [daily.dev, October 2026] Hamburg’s MuRay raises €7.1M for muon imaging of rocket engines | https://daily.dev/posts/hamburg-s-muray-raises-7-1m-for-muon-imaging-of-rocket-engines-onnxiezv2
- [The Next Web, October 2026] Hamburg’s MuRay raises €7.1M for muon imaging of rocket engines | https://thenextweb.com/news/muray-raises-7-1m-muon-imaging
- [Tech.eu, October 2026] MuRay raises €7.1M to inspect rocket engines and turbines beyond X-ray limits | https://tech.eu/2026/10/29/muray-raises-eur71m-to-inspect-rocket-engines-and-turbines-beyond-x-ray-limits/