The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies Fortastra: 1 model, $8.0M raised. 1 source back the record.
CategorySpace
Overview
Los Angeles-based space defense startup building autonomous escort satellites to defend critical orbital assets. Founded by SpaceX veteran and Hermeus co-founder Mike Smayda in 2025. Closed USD 8M seed round led by Upfront Ventures with participation from Bloomberg Beta, Generational Partners, Forward Deployed VC, and Wave Function Ventures. Developing maneuverable satellites with high delta-v propulsion for orbital security.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Fundingsee investors →
Focus
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Fortastra on the deployment map
View the global mapFortastra has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for Fortastra on the DEPLOY record yet. Track Fortastra to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Mike Smayda CEO & Foundersecondary-verified
Founders (1)
Safety record
No incidents on record for Fortastra.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Fortastra in third-party press
Peers
56 peers across 1 segment. Every Fortastra competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
space(56)
36 companies in this segment · low_concentration (HHI 1188.742650389188) · leader K2 Space at 2172%
- Aetherfluxdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Agile Space Industriesdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Airbusdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Albedo Spacedirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Astrobotic Technologydirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Astroscaledirect competitor(inferred)moderate
Financial state
- Total funding
- $8.0M
- Employees
- 10
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- unknown
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (1)
- Seed2025-12-14
Investors: Bloomberg Beta (follow), Upfront Ventures (lead), Generational Partners (follow), Forward Deployed VC (follow), Wave Function Ventures (follow)
Timeline
Every recorded move in Fortastra’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeed funding round
2025-12-14Seed
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 8, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is Fortastra?
What does Fortastra make?
Is Fortastra publicly traded?
Who competes with Fortastra?
Who is the CEO of Fortastra?
How can I invest in Fortastra?
Where is Fortastra headquartered?
How much funding has Fortastra raised?
Who owns Fortastra?
Where does Fortastra operate robots?
Is Fortastra a top robotics company?
When was Fortastra founded?
Is Fortastra safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Fortastra.Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3 models
- SpaceX3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Fortastra from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Fortastra and Hadrian Sign National Security Spacecraft Manufacturing MoU
Spacecraft manufacturer Fortastra and industrial manufacturer Hadrian signed an MoU that establishes a framework for technical collaboration to build advanced spacecraft that can…
Fortastra and Hadrian join forces to streamline satellite production
SAN FRANCISCO – Fortastra, a Los Angeles startup focused on defending on-orbit infrastructure, is working with manufacturing specialist Hadrian to explore ways to apply precision…
Fortastra Expands Leadership Team with Defense and Intelligence Veterans
Fortastra expanded its leadership team with defense and intelligence veterans to drive its national security mission in orbital defense.
Fortastra Lands $8M Seed to Develop Orbital Defense Sats
Fortastra closed an USD 8M seed round led by Upfront Ventures to develop maneuverable escort satellites for orbital defense. Founded by SpaceX veteran and Hermeus co-founder Mike…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/fortastra.md
- RSS feed: /companies/fortastra/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/c7a48bad-affd-4ead-8044-e450ca520876
- Revision history: /companies/fortastra/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory3 models
- SpaceX3 models
Heat Index
Category contender75/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Fortastra draws attention at the 5th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 22, 2026