Castelion
Hypersonic long-range strike weapons manufacturer for deterrence and defense.
Castelion develops mass-producible hypersonic long-range strike weapons using vertical integration, hardware-rich development, and high-cadence testing. Founded by former SpaceX executives, the company builds solid rocket motors, low-cost missile avionics, and thermal protection materials in-house at its El Segundo, CA headquarters and its Project Ranger manufacturing campus in Rio Rancho, NM. Castelion holds active US Navy and Army contracts for its Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon and the HIMARS-compatible Blackbeard GL variant, and signed a production framework agreement with the Department of War guaranteeing a minimum of 500 Blackbeard missiles per year once testing concludes.
Overview
- Headquarters
- El Segundo, CA
- Founded
- 2022
- Employees
- 89
- Total funding
- $464M
- Valuation
- $2.8B (Series B, Dec 2025)
- Stage
- Series B
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Hypersonic weapons, Solid rocket motors, Defense manufacturing
- X / Twitter
- x.com/Castelion
- Website
- castelion.com
Founders3
Investors2
Cap table8
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Valuation over time
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
Founders & early team | Common | ~21.9% |
Lightspeed Venture PartnersReinvested | Preferred (Series B) | ~14.6% |
Andreessen HorowitzReinvested | Preferred (Series B) | ~14.6% |
Other investors | Preferred | ~14.6% |
Lavrock VenturesReinvested | Preferred (Series B) | ~14.6% |
Employee option pool | Options | ~7.3% |
Silicon Valley Bank / venture debtNew | Debt | ~6.3% |
Altimeter CapitalNew | Preferred (Series B) | ~6.3% |
Contracts4
- ContractBlackbeard Early Operational Capability ContractUS Navy award advancing Blackbeard from prototype toward integrated early operational capability.
- ContractBlackbeard F/A-18E/F Super Hornet IntegrationUS Navy contract to integrate Blackbeard onto the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
- ContractBlackbeard First Delivery Order (50 EOC Prototypes)First delivery order under the Navy Blackbeard contract: 50 early-operational-capability pre-production prototypes.
- ContractBlackbeard GL Platform Integration Contracts (Army + Navy)First platform-integration contracts for the HIMARS-launched Blackbeard GL variant.
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Castelion do?
- Castelion develops mass-producible hypersonic long-range strike weapons using vertical integration, hardware-rich development, and high-cadence testing. Founded by former SpaceX executives, the company builds solid rocket motors, low-cost missile avionics, and thermal protection materials in-house at its El Segundo, CA headquarters and its Project Ranger manufacturing campus in Rio Rancho, NM. Castelion holds active US Navy and Army contracts for its Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon and the HIMARS-compatible Blackbeard GL variant, and signed a production framework agreement with the Department of War guaranteeing a minimum of 500 Blackbeard missiles per year once testing concludes.
- Where is Castelion headquartered?
- Castelion is headquartered in El Segundo, CA and was founded in 2022.
- How much funding has Castelion raised?
- Castelion has raised $464M in disclosed funding, at a most recent valuation of $2.8B (Series B, Dec 2025).
- What does Castelion specialize in?
- Castelion works across Hypersonic weapons, Solid rocket motors, Defense manufacturing.
- Does Castelion hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Castelion to 4 government contracts.
Sources & citations5
5 sources behind every claim
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