Hadrian, an advanced manufacturing company that serves aerospace and defense customers, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fortastra, a California-based developer of spacecraft for national security and commercial missions. The deal brings Hadrian into Fortastra's engineering process from the start of spacecraft design, rather than only as a downstream parts supplier. The two companies say the goal is better manufacturability, shorter production timelines, and new manufacturing methods for satellite structures and components.
The MOU covers nine manufacturing processes: metal and polymer 3D printing, direct energy deposition, binder jetting, precision CNC machining, electrical discharge machining, laser cutting, cold spray, friction stir welding, and composite manufacturing. Hadrian and Fortastra will evaluate each against Fortastra's satellite bus platforms, from early prototyping through flight-ready hardware, to determine which processes cut cost, weight, or lead time. Engineers who qualify hardware to military, NASA, and international standards will care about how early that manufacturability review happens, since redesigning a part for producibility after a program has locked its design is where schedules typically slip.
The partnership extends Hadrian's push into additive manufacturing for aerospace and defense. The company launched a dedicated AM business earlier this year under Matthew Parker, its vice president of additive manufacturing. "The rapidly evolving space environment demands defense capabilities that combine unprecedented precision, speed, and reliability, and that's what Hadrian is built to deliver," Parker said, adding that the deal brings Hadrian's "high-volume production and large-scale additive manufacturing capabilities" to satellite development.
Fortastra, for its part, contributes experience qualifying spacecraft hardware to military, NASA, and international standards, a step Hadrian will need to navigate as it moves further into space hardware. Mike Smayda, Fortastra's CEO, said the arrangement positions the company "to pursue funded prototype efforts that validate advanced manufacturing's impact on satellite development for national security missions," suggesting the MOU could lead to funded work beyond the current evaluation phase.
