Issued on behalf of Starfighters Space, Inc.
Key Takeaways:
- Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET) announced a strategic partnership with Blackstar Orbital to advance flight testing of reusable hypersonic “SpaceDrone” systems using Starfighters’ F-104 supersonic aircraft, with captive carry tests expected in Q4 FY26 and a high-altitude supersonic release over the Eastern Range off the Florida Atlantic Coast.
- The Technical Interchange Agreement covers integration of Blackstar’s lifting-body SpaceDrone with Starfighters’ F-104 platform, transitioning the system from simulation to real-world flight testing — a critical step in validating a new class of reusable satellites that launch as payloads and return to Earth like spaceplanes.
- This partnership builds on Starfighters’ recent momentum, including progress on the STARLAUNCH I air-launch platform with GE Aerospace following successful wind tunnel testing, and a microgravity flight partnership with Mu-G Technologies.
- Starfighters is the only commercial company in the world with the ability to fly payloads at sustained Mach 2+ speeds, operating a fleet of seven modified F-104 aircraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Equity-Insider.com News Commentary — Hypersonic testing and reusable space systems are converging into one of the fastest-growing segments of the aerospace and defense market. The U.S. Space Force budget is $40 billion this year. The Pentagon has moved decisively toward commercial solutions for responsive space, hypersonic weapons development, and rapid payload return. And the companies providing the infrastructure for this shift are attracting capital at an accelerating rate.
Companies mentioned in this article: Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET), Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB), AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS), Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR), Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU)
Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET) announced today, during the Satellite 2026 conference, a strategic partnership with Blackstar Orbital to advance flight testing of next-generation reusable hypersonic space systems. Under a Technical Interchange Agreement, Starfighters will integrate Blackstar’s SpaceDrone vehicle — a lifting-body reusable satellite designed to launch as a payload and return to Earth like a spaceplane — with its F-104 supersonic aircraft platform. Captive carry flights are expected in Q4 FY26, culminating in a high-altitude supersonic release modeling the post-reentry flight trajectory of Blackstar’s “microshuttle” platform. Testing will occur in the Eastern Range off the Florida Atlantic Coast.
“This partnership highlights the role Starfighters plays in bridging the gap between concept and flight for next-generation aerospace systems,” said Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space. “Blackstar is developing a highly differentiated approach to reusable space platforms, and our F-104 fleet provides a proven, high-performance environment to test and validate those systems in real-world conditions.”
Starfighters has provided a specialized BL75 pylon as the structural interface between the F-104 and the SpaceDrone, enabling captive carry and eventual release testing in a phased program. The partnership builds on Starfighters’ recent progress on its STARLAUNCH I air-launch platform with GE Aerospace, a microgravity flight partnership with Mu-G Technologies, and the expansion of operations to Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas.
CONTINUED… Read this and more on Starfighters Space at: Equity-Insider.com
In other industry developments:
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) — $190 Million Hypersonic Testing Contract
Rocket Lab secured a landmark $190 million contract for 20 dedicated HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) launches, the largest single launch contract in the company’s history. The deal pushed Rocket Lab’s total backlog past $2 billion and firmly positions the company as a critical infrastructure provider for U.S. hypersonic weapons development. Rocket Lab posted record 2025 revenue of $602 million, up 38% year over year, and is advancing its reusable Neutron medium-lift rocket toward a targeted maiden flight in late 2026.
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) — Space Development Agency Contract for Direct-to-Device Satellite
AST SpaceMobile secured a $30 million contract from the U.S. Space Development Agency for the Europa Track 2 Commercial Solutions program. The company is building a direct-to-device satellite constellation that would turn standard smartphones into satellite phones without hardware modification — a capability with significant defense and emergency response applications. AST SpaceMobile represents the convergence of communications infrastructure and space-based defense systems.
Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) — Lunar Landing and Space Infrastructure
Intuitive Machines became the first private company to soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon and has secured over $300 million in NASA contracts for lunar delivery services under the Artemis program. The company’s Nova-C lander platform positions it at the center of cislunar infrastructure development. Intuitive Machines demonstrates how commercial space companies are capturing government contracts that were historically reserved for legacy aerospace primes.
Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) — Small Satellite Manufacturing and AI-Enabled Space Services
Sidus Space is developing AI-enabled satellite platforms and space-as-a-service capabilities from its manufacturing facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company’s LizzieSat platform is designed for multi-mission configurations supporting Earth observation, communications, and defense applications. Sidus represents the growing ecosystem of small-scale space infrastructure companies emerging around Kennedy Space Center and the broader Florida Space Coast — the same operational hub where Starfighters maintains its supersonic fleet.
Hypersonic testing. Reusable space systems. Responsive launch. The infrastructure companies enabling these capabilities are drawing capital from defense and commercial markets simultaneously. Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET) just partnered with Blackstar Orbital to take reusable hypersonic “SpaceDrone” systems from simulation to real-world flight testing — using the only commercial supersonic fleet in the world — adding another mission category to a platform already advancing air-launch, microgravity research, and hypersonic testing.
For more information on Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET), visit Equity-Insider.com
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