Fortastra
Fortastra develops maneuverable autonomous spacecraft for on-orbit security and defense of critical space infrastructure, serving government and commercial satellite operators.
- CEO / Founder
- Dr. Michael "Mike" Smayda
- Team Size
- 1-10
- Stage
- Seed
- Total Funding
- $8M
- Latest Round
- Seed
- Key Investors
- Upfront Ventures; Generational Partners; Forward Deployed Venture Capital; Bloomberg Beta; Wave Function Ventures
Technology & Products
Key Products
Maneuverable autonomous spacecraft for on-orbit security; orbital defense satellites with advanced guidance, navigation, control and propulsion systems; remote sensing and rendezvous/proximity operations (RPO) capabilities
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Low-cost, maneuverable spacecraft that autonomously navigate to assess, understand, and respond to threats in orbit, providing physical security for government and commercial satellites
How They Differentiate
Focus on cost-conscious design for proliferation at scale (vs. bespoke high-cost satellites); autonomous operations for close-in maneuvers where limited data exists; open architecture software for interoperability; founded by SpaceX veteran and Hermeus co-founder with deep aerospace and government sales experience
Market & Competition
Target Customers
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Space Force, Intelligence Community, and commercial satellite operators seeking on-orbit security services
Industry Verticals
National Security/Defense; Space; Commercial Satellite Operations
Competitors
True Anomaly; Starfish Space; Turion Space
Growth & Milestones
Major Milestones
Founded 2025 by Mike Smayda; Raised $8M Seed round led by Upfront Ventures (Dec 2025); Expanded leadership team with veterans from Relativity Space, Hermeus, Astrion, and Divergent Technologies (Apr 2026); Signed MoU with Hadrian for advanced manufacturing partnership (Jul 2026)