Fortastra Raises $30 Million to Scale On-Orbit Security Spacecraft Development

Fortastra has raised $30 million in Series A funding to accelerate development of its maneuverable spacecraft for on-orbit security and national defense. The round was led by First In, with participation from Upfront Ventures, Space Capital, Rsquared, Side Door Ventures, ATX Ventures and existing investors.

Fortastra is developing spacecraft designed to operate near critical space assets, monitor activity, conduct proximity operations and respond to potential threats. The company aims to provide persistent security coverage across multiple orbits through maneuverable spacecraft, autonomous systems and high-rate manufacturing.

The new funding will support development and commissioning of Fortastra's next-generation platforms, expansion of its engineering and operations teams, and continued work on autonomy and manufacturing.

The Series A follows the launch of Fortastra's Watchdog V0 spacecraft and initial government contracts.

Fortastra founder and CEO Michael Smayda said the company moved from seed funding to an on-orbit mission in roughly a year and is now focused on turning its initial operational results into a production-ready capability.

First In General Partner Arthur Karell said Fortastra's approach is intended to make lower-cost, mass-deployed space defenses more practical as the number of critical government and commercial assets in orbit continues to grow.

Image credits: Fortastra