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 machining and additive manufacturing to […] The post Fortastra and Hadrian join forces to strea
Home / Fortastra and Hadrian join forces to streamline satellite production
Rendering of a Hadrian production facility and software hub in Mesa, Arizona. Credit: Hadrian
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 machining and additive manufacturing to spacecraft development.
The two companies will work together to apply Hadrian’s subtractive and additive manufacturing expertise to reducing spacecraft cost and mass, speeding up production and enhancing structural performance, under a memorandum of understanding announced July 29.
“We’re interested in truly partnering and figuring out how to integrate their capabilities with where we’re going,” Fortastra CEO Mike Smayda told SpaceNews.
Hadrian is building autonomous factories to manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships. This is a render of a factory in Torrance, California. Credit: Hadrian
//Sharing expertise
The agreement calls for Fortastra and Hadrian to jointly evaluate ways to apply additive, subtractive, hybrid and emerging manufacturing approaches to Fortastra programs. Hadrian will participate in design reviews of Fortastra satellite buses, including design for manufacturability reviews, manufacturing feasibility assessments, risk identification and development of manufacturing roadmaps. In addition, Fortastra will share expertise in qualifying hardware for the space environment to support the maturation of Hadrian’s manufacturing technologies for space applications.
“Fortastra is building the future of autonomous orbital systems, and manufacturing is one of the most crucial leverage points in delivering capability at speed and scale,” Smayda said in a statement. “This partnership with Hadrian brings world-class manufacturing expertise directly into our engineering process, positioning us to pursue funded prototype efforts that validate advanced manufacturing’s impact on satellite development for national security missions.”
Through the partnership, Hadrian will bring “high-volume production and large-scale additive manufacturing capabilities to address critical satellite development challenges in a fundamentally new way,” Matthew Parker, Hadrian vice president of additive manufacturing, said in a statement.
In January, Hadrian announced the creation of an additive manufacturing division focused on meeting reliability, quality and traceability requirements for defense and national security programs. Hadrian also announced in June that Caleb Sima, former Robinhood chief security officer, would join the company in the same role. And Wallis Laughrey, former Voyager chief strategy officer, is Hadrian’s new vice president of munitions.
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Debra Werner
Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco.
Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient... More by Debra Werner
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