Fortastra Launches in Torrance With $8M to Build Maneuverable Spacecraft

Torrance-based Fortastra has launched after raising more than $8 million in seed financing to develop maneuverable spacecraft designed for national security and on-orbit operations. The seed round was led by Santa Monica-based Upfront Ventures, with participation from Generational Partners, Wave Function Ventures, Bloomberg Beta and Forward Deployed VC. The funding will be used to advance spacecraft development, expand its engineering team and establish testing and analysis capabilities in Southern California.

“Space systems underpin nearly every aspect of modern life from global communications and navigation to financial infrastructure and national defense,” said Mike Smayda, founder and chief executive of Fortastra, in a statement. “As these threats accelerate, the U.S. needs spacecraft that can respond quickly, maneuver intelligently and preserve mission advantage. That’s what Fortastra is here to build.”

Fortastra was founded earlier this year by Smayda, an aerospace engineer who spent five years at SpaceX as a senior aerodynamics engineer, where he worked on rocket landing systems, Falcon vehicle components and early Starship architecture. He later co-founded aerospace company Hermeus, leading systems engineering for space and aviation vehicles and serving as its chief product officer.

Fortastra is focused on building high-agility spacecraft with advanced guidance, navigation, control and propulsion systems, enabling rapid maneuvering, defensive rendezvous, and proximity operations and mission execution in degraded environments. That will support building a security layer for the space economy as the growing number of satellites and rising geopolitical competition increase the risk to on-orbit assets.

Information for this article was sourced from Fortastra and Upfront Ventures.