Starfighters Space, the innovative aerospace company, owner and operator of the world’s largest fleet of commercial supersonic aircraft, announced today during the 41st Space Symposium an expanded technical interchange with Blackstar Orbital, a company pioneering advanced Return-to-Earth satellites, to support the development, integration planning, and flight test preparation of next-generation reusable space systems.
Broader Technical Scope for Integration and Flight Readiness
The companies’ Technical Interchange Agreement outlines a work program that extends beyond initial vehicle integration planning. In addition to integrating Blackstar’s SpaceDrone BX-02C.2 test article with the Starfighters F-104 platform, the scope includes vehicle physical characterization, carriage and release simulations, wind tunnel testing, mock-up validation, interface hardware planning, payload handling procedures, telemetry and data requirements, and drop-test and recovery planning.
Blackstar Orbital is developing a lifting-body “SpaceDrone,” designed to operate as a reusable, hypersonic satellite that can launch as a payload and return to Earth like a spaceplane. The current technical interchange is intended to determine whether the vehicle can be safely and effectively integrated, carried, and deployed from the Starfighters F-104 platform.
Integration Hardware and Program Development
Starfighters’ responsibilities under the work program include lug configuration and adapter design considerations, flight procedures, standard flight safety cards, aircraft interface constraints, operational limitations, CAD support, and preliminary costing for FAA, NASA, and range approvals. The parties are also jointly addressing frequency control, data systems, flight control systems, RF communications, ground safety planning, range requirements, range services coordination, and compliance with Space Florida requirements.
Starfighters has also provided hardware to support the next phase of interface work, including a BL-75 complete assembly, counterbalance, sway braces, and a jettison piston transferred to Blackstar at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The technical interchange is structured as an iterative process, and any expansion from feasibility determination and planning into flight testing or other operational activities would be subject to a separate written agreement between the parties.
Building Toward Operational Flight Services
“This collaboration now covers a broader technical work program than vehicle integration alone,” said Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space. “The scope includes interface engineering, safety and range planning, data and telemetry coordination, and transferred hardware to support the next phase of evaluation. That stepwise approach is how Starfighters helps customers move from concept toward flight readiness.”
“The expanded technical interchange gives Blackstar a structured path to validate vehicle interfaces, operational conditions, data requirements, and release planning with Starfighters’ F-104 platform,” said Christopher Jannette, CEO of Blackstar Orbital. “It strengthens the engineering foundation for future flight services as we advance the SpaceDrone program.”
The Technical Interchange Agreement establishes an iterative framework for ongoing collaboration, with both companies expecting the relationship to evolve into a broader flight services engagement as the program advances through feasibility, integration, and future operational phases.
This announcement continues on Starfighters’ recent momentum, leveraging the use of its high-performance aircraft across various mission categories. In recent weeks, the Company announced progress on its STARLAUNCH 1 air-launch platform with GE Aerospace and a partnership with Mu-G Technologies to support microgravity flight missions.
About Starfighters Space, Inc.
Starfighters Space, Inc. is the only commercial company in the world with the ability to fly payloads at sustained MACH 2+ and with the capability to launch those payloads to space. Starfighters Space is an organization committed to participating in high-demand commercial space activities. Located at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Company operates a fleet of modified supersonic aircraft operationally configurable to act as the first stage lifting platform to carry payloads up to 45,000 feet for air launch to space. Additional activities include support research, pilot training, space flight training, and advanced scientific efforts including hypersonic testing as part of air launch partner development programs. Starfighters Space is working to position its capability to become the most cost-effective launch provider in the sector.
For more information about Starfighters Space, Inc. please visit: https://starfightersspace.com/.
About Blackstar Orbital Technologies, Inc.
Blackstar Orbital Technologies Corporation is a pioneering aerospace company developing a highly differentiated approach to reusable space platforms, known as SpaceDrones that launch like traditional payloads and return to Earth like spaceplanes. The company is redefining space access by replacing the disposable satellite model with reusable, modular platforms that reduce cost, increase flexibility, and enable rapid mission turnaround. Blackstar’s technology supports a wide range of applications, including defense, intelligence, scientific research, communications, and commercial payload deployment. With a focus on responsive space and rapid reconstitution, its systems are designed to deliver real-time insights, tactical advantages, and mission adaptability in both commercial and national security environments. By integrating reusable infrastructure with advanced propulsion and edge computing capabilities, Blackstar Orbital is building a scalable bridge between orbit and Earth. Its vision is to enable a future where thousands of reusable spacecraft operate in low Earth orbit, unlocking a more sustainable, efficient, and accessible space economy.
For more information about Blackstar Orbital Technologies Corporation, Inc. please visit: https://www.spacedrone.io/
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