Startup · United States
Fortastra
HQ Torrance, United StatesFounded 20251-10 employees
Torrance spacecraft developer building maneuverable satellites for on-orbit security (rendezvous, inspection and protection of other spacecraft); founded by former SpaceX engineer and Hermeus co-founder Mike Smayda.
Technologies1
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rendezvous and proximity operations | Developer | Development | — | — | Reported |
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
Funding1 round · $8.1M
- Disclosed
- $8.1M
- Latest
- $8.1MSeed · Dec 11, 2025
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2025 | Seed | $8.1M | — | Upfront Ventures | Bloomberg Beta, Forward Deployed VC, Generational Partners, Wave Function Ventures | Confirmed |
- $8.1MDec 11, 2025
Totals add known amounts using recorded USD conversions where available; other currencies are shown separately. A ~ marks an estimated amount.
Government awards & programs2 awards · $1K obligated · up to $500 ceiling · 1 program
Awards received2
| Announced | Award | Agency | Type | Program | Obligated | Ceiling | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5, 2025 | SHIELD initial order (Fortastra Corporation)HQ085926FE120 | Missile Defense Agency | Task order | Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) | $500 | $500 | Confirmed |
| Dec 3, 2025 | SHIELD multiple-award IDIQ contract (Fortastra Corporation)HQ085926DE129 | Missile Defense Agency | IDIQ | Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) | $500 | — | Confirmed |
- SHIELD initial order (Fortastra Corporation)Dec 5, 2025 · Task orderConfirmed$500Obligated · up to $500 ceiling
- SHIELD multiple-award IDIQ contract (Fortastra Corporation)Dec 3, 2025 · IDIQConfirmed$500Obligated
Programs1
| Program | Role | Program status | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) | Prime | Competition | Confirmed |
Obligated is what has been committed so far; ceiling is the most the award can reach. Joint values cover all recipients and are excluded from this company’s money totals.
Supply chain1 supplier · 1 facility
Suppliers1
| Supplier | Supplies | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hadrian | — | MoU to evaluate Hadrian's additive and subtractive manufacturing for Fortastra satellite bus programs; no production orders disclosed. | Reported |
- MoU to evaluate Hadrian's additive and subtractive manufacturing for Fortastra satellite bus programs; no production orders disclosed.
Facilities1
| Facility | Kind | Location | Status | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortastra headquarters | Headquarters | Torrance, California, United States | Operating | Confirmed |
- Fortastra headquartersHeadquarters · Torrance, California, United StatesOperatingConfirmed
People6
Hiring observations2 listings
Head of Flight Software Engineer ↗
Torrance, CA · Full-time · Engineering
Availability unverified · Bright Data / LinkedIn
Observed Oct 5, 2026
Head of Guidance, Navigation, and Control ↗
Torrance, CA · Full-time · Other
Availability unverified · Bright Data / LinkedIn
Observed Oct 5, 2026
A sample of observed listings, not a total vacancy count. Availability may have changed since collection. Categories are inferred from job titles.
Company metrics
Employee-profile counts reflect LinkedIn profiles associated with the company, not verified headcount. One observation establishes a baseline; it does not establish growth.
- Jul 30, 2026NewsVia SatelliteFortastra and Hadrian Sign National Security Spacecraft Manufacturing MoU
- Jul 29, 2026NewsFortastra and Hadrian join forces to streamline satellite production
- Apr 2, 2026CompanyFortastra (PR Newswire)Fortastra Expands Leadership Team to Accelerate Development of Mission-Ready Space Systems
- Dec 11, 2025NewsPayloadExclusive: Fortastra Lands $8M Seed to Develop Orbital Defense Sats
Sources11
Profile3
- 1OtherBlack Flag 100.2
Black Flag · Supports Organization
“Fortastra builds maneuverable spacecraft purpose-built for on-orbit security, architected from the ground up for rapid maneuver and proximity operations.”
- 2
Fortastra · Supports Organization · name
“Fortastra — Orbital defense built for scaleFortastraFortastraFortastraFortastra”
- 3DatabaseFortastra — linkedin profile
Linkedin via Bright Data · Supports Organization · logo, Organization · url
“{"logo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E0BAQGRKZfHj_DsOg/company-logo_200_200/B4EZ.EVw.0IcAE-/0/1784631726276/fortastra_logo?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=KE0hF7HDZiIDwptD-mnEISHGWd5WBI9l6n-8GJHvQk4"}”
Technologies1
- 4
Payload · Dec 11, 2025 · Supports Funding round, Funding round · investors, Organization technology, Role
“A new startup out of California—called Fortastra—today announced it closed an $8M seed round”
Funding1
- 5Regulatory filingForm D: Fortastra Corp
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · Aug 18, 2025 · Supports Facility, Funding round · amount, Organization · founded year, Role
“Fortastra Corp; Year of Incorporation: 2025; 22301 S. Western Ave., Suite 103, Torrance, CA”
Government2
- 6Government recordAward HQ085926FE120 (Fortastra Corporation, SHIELD initial order)
USAspending.gov · Supports Government award · obligated amount
“Recipient: FORTASTRA CORPORATION; Total obligation: $500.00; Base and all options value: $500.00”
- 7Government recordAward HQ085926DE129 (Fortastra Corporation, MDA SHIELD IDIQ)
USAspending.gov · Supports Government award, Government award · obligated amount
“Award ID: HQ085926DE129; Recipient Name: FORTASTRA CORPORATION; Award Amount: 0.00; Awarding Sub Agency: Missile Defense Agency; Start Date: 2025-12-29”
Supply chain2
- 8
OpenStreetMap Nominatim · Oct 4, 2026 · Supports Facility, Facility · lat, Facility · lng
“22301, South Western Avenue, Old Torrance, Torrance”
- 9
Via Satellite · Jul 30, 2026 · Supports Supply relationship
“Spacecraft manufacturer Fortastra and industrial manufacturer Hadrian signed an MoU that establishes a framework for technical collaboration”
People2
- 10
Fortastra (PR Newswire) · Apr 2, 2026 · Supports Organization, Role
“Fortastra designs and operates maneuverable spacecraft for on-orbit security. Headquartered in Torrance, California”
- 11DatabaseFortastra — crunchbase profile
Crunchbase via Bright Data · Supports Organization · num employees, Role · founders
“{"num_employees": "1-10"}”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.