Fortastra Corp., a space defense startup based in Torrance, announced in early October it raised $30 million in series A funding. The round was led by First In, with additional participation from Santa Monica-based Upfront Ventures, ATX Ventures, Space Capital, Rsquared and Side Door Ventures.
The company builds maneuverable spacecrafts meant to guard and defend assets, as well as provide intelligence on nearby activity. Fortastra launched its first two satellites, Watchdog V0, at the beginning of October, and is currently working on the second iteration of these surveillance satellites. The goal is to eventually create a large constellation of space probes to protect other assets in space.
“Most people will agree that we’ve got more infrastructure going to space versus less,” Michael Smayda, the company’s founder and chief executive, said. “I think that kind of underlies an increasing amount of stuff in space and also greater dependency on that orbital infrastructure.”
Guarding space territory
Smayda founded Fortastra in 2025 as a seasoned veteran in the world of privatized space. He spent almost five years as an aerodynamics engineer at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and was a co-founder of Hermeus Corp. As his former employer worked to decrease the cost of launching rockets, government and private entities entering space have increased. These satellites, drones and robots meandering through the ether, would, on Earth, come equipped with security guards and surveillance cameras. But in space, these costly expeditions are largely unprotected.
“I don’t think it’s super controversial to say that space is becoming more contested and congested,” Smayda said. “Just like you would protect infrastructure in any other domain, be it undersea cables or data centers that are built on the ground, this is just going to be part of how humanity operates long-term.”
Indeed, the U.S. and other large countries on the international stage are increasingly developing technology meant to reach the stars. The Department of Air Force secretary, Troy Meink, admitted in September during the 2026 Air and Space Cyber Conference that the U.S. was developing and launching space-capable weapons.
Building partnerships
“Today we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said during his keynote speech in Maryland. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”
Back in July, Fortastra inked a deal with fellow South Bay startup Hadrian Automation Inc., another Torrance-based company that uses artificial intelligence-powered factories to mass manufacture niche, customized parts for the military and aerospace sectors. The collaboration is meant to reduce the size of Fortastra’s satellites, which would in turn reduce the cost to launch them.
“Never before have public and private U.S. space assets been more critical to the functioning of everyday life, but also more vulnerable to disruption by a variety of adversaries,” Arthur Karell, a general partner at First In, said in a statement.
