Industry Veterans from Relativity Space, Hermeus, Astrion and Divergent Join to Elevate Engineering, Product, and Organizational Growth
LOS ANGELES, CA., — April 2, 2026 — FortastraCorporation, a developer of advanced space systems supporting national security and commercial missions, today announced the appointment of Josh Jetter, Sahil Desai and Arnold Nowinski to its leadership team. These new hires strengthen Fortastra’s engineering, product, and organizational capabilities as the company continues scaling to support modern space infrastructure operations.
Josh Jetter will take on the role of Chief Technology Officer at Fortastra, where he will spearhead the company’s engineering organization across design, manufacturing, integration and operations. Jetter brings top-level experience building advanced aerospace systems across both startup and traditional ecosystems. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Avionics Engineering and Manufacturing at Relativity Space, and as Director of Engineering at Impossible Aerospace. Earlier, he held engineering leadership roles at Momentus Space, contributed to hardware development for Starlink at SpaceX, and supported multiple space systems programs at Sandia National Laboratories. At Fortastra, Jetter will work closely with customers to align product roadmaps with evolving technical requirements and mission needs.
Sahil Desai joins Fortastra as Vice President of Product, where he will head up product strategy and growth to ensure Fortastra’s technology delivers mission-ready capabilities for defense and commercial partners. Desai started his career as an Intelligence Community Officer supporting national security initiatives. He later served as Director of Programs at Hermeus Corporation, teaming up with Fortastra CEO Mike Smayda, where he established the company’s program management function and helped secure key hypersonics contracts. Most recently, as Vice President of Aerospace and Defense Programs at Divergent Technologies, Desai helped scale the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies in defense technology environments.
Arnold Nowinski joins Fortastra as Vice President of People, bringing more than 25 years of experience supporting commercial, civil, and Department of Defense programs. He most recently served as Vice President and General Manager of the Space Launch and Sciences business unit at Astrion, where he staffed and led a team of more than 250 engineers and scientists across multiple NASA and U.S. Space Force programs. Arnold also spent time developing the flight safety system for Falcon 1 at SpaceX. Earlier in his career, he served as a developmental engineer in the United States Air Force, assisting in research and development at the Air Force Research Laboratory and mission assurance of National Security Space launches.
“Fortastra is building technology that will define the next era of space operations and achieving that vision demands leaders from across disciplines and industries,” said Mike Smayda, CEO of Fortastra. “Josh, Sahil, and Arnold bring world-class experience spanning engineering, product strategy, and organizational leadership from some of the most demanding and innovative sectors. This diversity of expertise provides a unique advantage as we continue developing mission-critical systems for our government and commercial partners.”
“I’ve spent my career building aerospace systems that push the boundaries of what’s possible and am thrilled to be joining this organization securing critical assets in orbit,” said Josh Jetter, Chief Technology Officer at Fortastra. “Fortastra is tackling some of the most complex challenges in space operations, and I’m happy to be a part of the journey as we build reliable, scalable systems.”
“Modern space missions demand advanced technologies that are operationally ready,” said Sahil Desai, Vice President of Product at Fortastra. “Fortastra is uniquely positioned to deliver that capability, and I’m excited to help guide the product strategy to bring these innovations to customers who need them most.”
“The space economy is growing rapidly, and building the teams most capable of supporting that growth is essential,” said Arnold Nowinski, Vice President of People at Fortastra. “Fortastra is curating an exceptional group of experts and I’m excited to help develop the organizational foundation that will support the company’s expansion.”
Fortastra recently raised over $8 million in seed financing, led by Upfront Ventures, with participation from Generational Partners, Wave Function Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, and Forward Deployed VC.
About Fortastra
Fortastra designs and operates maneuverable spacecraft for on-orbit security. Headquartered in Torrance, California, Fortastra combines modern engineering practices, high-rate spacecraft manufacturing, and advanced autonomy to protect critical space infrastructure and deliver consistent operational advantage for the United States and its allies. Learn more at www.fortastra.com
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