AstroForge is a pioneering private aerospace company based in California, focused on developing technologies for asteroid mining and in-space refining of precious metals, particularly platinum-group elements. Founded in 2022, AstroForge aims to become the first commercial entity to mine and process materials from asteroids, addressing the growing demand for rare metals on Earth and advancing the vision of sustainable space resource utilization. The company’s approach combines innovative spacecraft design, autonomous mining systems, and advanced in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques to make space mining viable and profitable. AstroForge is committed to reducing humanity’s reliance on terrestrial resources and enabling new economic opportunities in space.
Leadership
Matthew Gialich (Co-Founder & CEO): Matthew Gialich has a background in aerospace engineering and previously worked at Virgin Orbit, where he gained experience in launch systems and commercial space operations.
Jose Acain (Co-Founder & CTO): Jose Acain is an aerospace engineer with prior experience at SpaceX, specializing in spacecraft systems and hardware development.
Both founders bring Silicon Valley’s high-risk, rapid-iteration mindset to the company, leveraging their expertise from leading commercial space ventures.
Core Technologies
Autonomous Mining Spacecraft: AstroForge develops spacecraft capable of autonomously identifying, extracting, and processing asteroid materials in the harsh environment of space.
In-Space Refining Systems: The company’s technology focuses on refining precious metals, such as platinum and iridium, directly in space, using advanced materials processing and vaporization techniques.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: AI and ML are integrated for real-time decision-making, target selection, navigation, and autonomous mining operations.
Mission Hardware: AstroForge’s Brokkr-1 and Brokkr-2 missions utilize cubesats built by OrbAstro, with in-house development for future spacecraft such as the Vestri mission.
Sustainability & Space Debris Mitigation: The company incorporates responsible practices to minimize environmental impact and ensure long-term viability of space mining.
Key Capabilities
Extraction and in-situ refining of platinum-group metals from asteroids.
Autonomous spacecraft operations in microgravity and deep space.
Advanced AI-driven navigation, mining, and resource processing.
Scalable technology for both proof-of-concept and commercial-scale missions.
Collaboration with launch providers (e.g., SpaceX, Intuitive Machines) for mission deployment.
Investors
Seed Funding: $13 million raised in a seed round led by Initialized Capital, with participation from Seven Seven Six, EarthRise, Aera VC, Liquid 2, and Soma.
Series A: $40 million raised in August 2024, led by Nova Threshold, with participation from 776, Initialized Capital, 468 Capital, Y Combinator, Uncorrelated Ventures, and Jed McCaleb.
Valuation: Not publicly disclosed.
Company Status: Privately held.
Notable Clients
AstroForge’s primary clients are not publicly listed, as the company is pre-commercial and focused on technology demonstration and development. Its intended customers include industrial metal markets, government agencies, and commercial space partners interested in off-Earth resource extraction.
