California-based startup Fortastra has secured $30 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by First In, with participation from Upfront, Space Capital, Rsquared, Side Door Ventures, and ATX Ventures.
The company plans to utilize the capital to expand its engineering team and increase production capacity. These resources are intended to support the development of next-generation orbital-defense spacecraft and fulfill anticipated large-scale orders from the US Department of Defense.
Founded in 2025, Fortastra has already conducted two orbital demonstration missions, including one launch on the SpaceX Transporter-18 mission earlier this month. The firm aims to launch its next spacecraft as early as the first quarter of 2028.
While the company currently targets a launch cadence of approximately one spacecraft per year, its long-term strategy involves scaling production to hundreds or thousands of units annually to address growing security threats in orbit.
