Spacecraft developer Fortastra is turning to automated manufacturer Hadrian to help it build satellites faster. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) this week laying the groundwork for Hadrian’s precision machining and additive manufacturing capabilities to be applied to Fortastra’s satellite programs, with an eye toward eventual funded prototype work addressing national security space needs.
At stake is production speed. Fortastra, which builds maneuverable spacecraft for defense and commercial customers, is hoping Hadrian’s heavily automated factories can cut down the time and friction in its development lifecycle, from faster turnaround to clearer visibility into production status to a manufacturing base resilient enough to keep programs on schedule.
In exchange, Fortastra brings years of experience getting hardware certified to fly in space, expertise the companies say will help push Hadrian’s manufacturing processes toward the reliability spaceflight demands.
What the two sides will actually test
The MOU outlines a broad scope of manufacturing methods for joint evaluation. On the additive side, this includes metal and polymer 3D printing, direct energy deposition and binder jetting; on the subtractive side, precision CNC machining, EDM and laser cutting; and further afield, emerging techniques such as cold spray, friction stir welding and composite layup, each assessed against Fortastra’s specific satellite bus requirements.
The collaboration extends beyond parts supply. Hadrian will participate in Fortastra’s design reviews and major engineering milestones, contributing input on manufacturability, feasibility and risk as programs progress. Fortastra, in turn, will provide standards expertise, including MIL-STD, ECSS, SMC and NASA qualification requirements, that Hadrian will need to certify its manufacturing processes for use in orbit.
“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,” said Mike Smayda, CEO of Fortastra. “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.”
Building on an Existing Additive Push
Hadrian’s push into additive manufacturing didn’t start with this deal. Hadrian launched a dedicated division, Hadrian Additive, built specifically to move 3D printing out of the prototype stage and into scalable, production-grade output for defense customers, folded directly into the company’s existing Opus factory software.
That move followed a rapid buildout since Hadrian’s 2020 founding: a $260 million Series C round in mid-2025 pushed its total funding to roughly $500 million, and the company now runs factories in Hawthorne and Torrance, California, with a 270,000-square-foot Arizona facility under construction and expected online in early 2026, adding more than 350 jobs. Hadrian founder and CEO Chris Power tied the new division to a broader gap in the industry at the time: “America’s defense industrial base needs additive manufacturing that works in real production, not just in prototypes.”
Buying speed instead of building it
Fortastra’s decision to partner with Hadrian, rather than build automated manufacturing capacity of its own, reflects a pattern taking hold across aerospace and defense: rather than standing up in-house factories, OEMs are turning to manufacturers that have already built the automated infrastructure, and plugging into it directly. For a young company like Fortastra, that trade makes sense, automated, software-driven production is expensive and slow to stand up, and partnering lets an OEM get speed now while its own programs are still maturing.
Divergent Technologies has built its business almost entirely around that model. After expanding from automotive into aerospace and defense in 2022 with General Atomics, the company’s Divergent Adaptive Production System now serves Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Triumph Group, producing everything from individual sustainment parts to full airframe systems for customers that never had to build that manufacturing capability themselves.
Saab took the same approach with its “software-defined” fuselage. Saab partnered with Divergent to produce a five-meter fuselage from 26 additively manufactured parts, assembled robotically without dedicated tooling, a structure Saab said let its designers escape the straight lines and right angles that traditional manufacturing methods impose.
For Fortastra, the Hadrian deal follows the same logic: rather than spend years and capital building an automated factory of its own, it’s borrowing one that already exists, trading some manufacturing control for speed it couldn’t otherwise get on its own timeline.
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Featured image shows Rendering of Hadrian’s F3 Facility in Mesa, AZ. Image via Hadrian.
