Starfighters turns Texas facility toward microgravity flight testing

TAMPA, Fla. — Starfighters Space, which is developing F-104 supersonic jets for satellite air-launch, is turning its Texas facility into a staging ground for microgravity flight testing in response to NASA’s call for information on commercial parabolic capabilities.

The Florida-based company said May 20 it expanded its partnership with Mu-G Technologies to help test a Dassault Falcon 50 aircraft the microgravity startup is modifying, using Starfighters’ hangar at Midland International Air & Space Port.

The companies first teamed up in March to pursue microgravity flight missions for NASA, academic and commercial research customers across North America, including via dedicated parabolic aircraft or by integrating Mu-G monitoring systems and software with Starfighters’ F-104 fleet.

Their partnership followed a NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center request for information (RFI) on commercial parabolic flight capabilities for technology testing and scientific research.

“By bringing Mu-G’s Falcon 50 into our Midland facility, we are creating a single location where researchers and customers will be able to access both microgravity and supersonic test environments,” said Starfighters CEO Tim Franta.

“Responding jointly to NASA’s RFI is the next step in building that offering into something the agency and the broader research community can rely on.”

Under a memorandum of understanding, Starfighters said its support for Mu-G also includes ground maintenance, chase-plane and data collection services, pilot integration, safety and regulatory alignment as the venture works toward Federal Aviation Administration certification for a commercial mission.

Starfighters is still awaiting its own regulatory approval for a debut suborbital mission that would lay the groundwork for Starlaunch, the service that would use F-104 jets as the first-stage lifting platform for payloads released at altitude.

The company plans to develop infrastructure for orbital launch after a successful suborbital flight, it said May 20 in its first quarterly financial results since going public.

No revenue was reported for the three months to the end of March, alongside around $4.1 million in operating expenses and a $4.3 million net loss for the quarter.

Starfighters recorded about $1.4 million in cash as of March 31, warning that its continuation as a going concern depends upon obtaining debt or equity financing to continue operations until it begins generating positive cash flow.

The company has previously generated revenue from a business that has primarily used its seven F-104 aircraft for training and research support activities.

“In the past we have concentrated on high-gs, high-altitude and had clients who required negative gs,” Franta told SpaceNews via email, but with Mu-G “we can look to provide full services for [all] g requirements.”

He said interest in microgravity research and in-space manufacturing has accelerated significantly in recent years, driven by both government programs and a growing commercial ecosystem.

“As demand expands, there’s a need for more flexible platforms that can support testing, training and technology development in microgravity environments,” he added. 

One of the reasons NASA is seeking information on potential microgravity sources is to determine the serious providers, according to Franta.

“As of today, it is highly limited,” he continued. 

“What differentiates the Starfighters approach is the ability to leverage a unique operational aviation platform alongside a team experienced in designing and supporting microgravity missions. That combination allows us to explore mission concepts that can provide researchers and technology developers with more flexible and responsive access to microgravity environments.”

Starfighters recently hired two former Blue Origin New Glenn managers to help move Starlaunch and related flight programs from development toward operations.