Starfighters Partners with Mu-GTech for Microgravity Flights
Collaboration supports NASA, academic and commercial research missions
Starfighters Space, Inc. ("Starfighters" or the "Company") (NYSE:FJET), the innovative aerospace company, owner and operator of the world's largest fleet of commercial supersonic aircraft, today announced a strategic partnership with Mu-G Technologies, LLC ("Mu-GTech") to pursue microgravity flight missions for NASA, academic institutions and commercial research customers across the United States and Canada. The collaboration combines Starfighters' high-performance flight operations and aircraft capabilities with Mu-GTech's expertise in parabolic flight execution, monitoring systems, and payload integration. Together, the companies intend to expand access to reduced-gravity testing environments amid increasing demand from government and commercial space programs.
The partnership follows a recent NASA Flight Opportunities "Sources Sought" notice seeking potential providers of parabolic flight services to support technology development in reduced gravity. Starfighters and Mu-GTech are jointly responding to this notice while also evaluating broader commercial opportunities beyond government-sponsored missions.
Expanding Mission Capabilities Across the Fleet
The microgravity initiative expands Starfighters' broader strategy of leveraging its high-performance aircraft fleet across multiple mission categories, including air launch to space, hypersonic testing, advanced research support and specialized flight services. By expanding into microgravity operations, the Company aims to diversify fleet utilization while serving high-demand aerospace, defense, and space technology markets.
Executive Commentary:
"This partnership reflects our commitment to expanding the ways we deploy our high-performance aircraft to serve growing aerospace and space technology markets," said Tim Franta, Chief Executive Officer of Starfighters. "By combining our operational capabilities with Mu-GTech's parabolic flight expertise, we are positioning Starfighters to support increased demand for reliable microgravity testing. We are equally focused on delivering strong ‘return on science' for researchers – ensuring that flight profiles, duration and environmental quality are optimized to meet the evolving needs of our government, academic and commercial customers."
Robert Ward, Founder of Mu-G Technologies, added, "By integrating Mu-GTech's flight control and monitoring systems with Starfighters' aircraft performance envelope, we have the opportunity to evaluate new approaches to delivering high-quality reduced-gravity environments. This capability can provide longer-duration parabolas for reduced-gravity research than have traditionally been available, further advancing the nation's space research capabilities. We look forward to advancing this capability in support of NASA and the broader research community."
Building a Dual-Track Microgravity Capability
As part of its expansion into microgravity flight services, Starfighters is developing a dual-track operational approach in collaboration with Mu-GTech, designed to support near-term customer missions while evaluating long-term scalability:
- Dedicated Microgravity Aircraft: Acquisition and operation of an aircraft optimized specifically for parabolic flight missions. Under this model, Starfighters would oversee flight operations while Mu-GTech would manage customer engagement and payload integration.
- F-104-Based Microgravity Profile: Integration of Mu-GTech's proprietary monitoring systems and software into Starfighters' Lockheed F-104 aircraft to evaluate whether the platform's high-speed and high-altitude performance can extend microgravity duration and improve flight quality.
The companies intend to conduct flight validation and data collection to assess operational performance, research quality metrics and commercial scalability.
Understanding Microgravity Flight
Microgravity conditions are created during precisely controlled parabolic flight maneuvers in which an aircraft follows a specialized arc trajectory, producing brief periods of weightlessness inside the cabin. Each parabola typically generates approximately 20–25 seconds of reduced gravity, allowing researchers to test space-bound technologies, materials, biological experiments and instrumentation in a real-world environment prior to orbital deployment. Enhanced speed and altitude performance of the F-104 aircraft will improve the duration and consistency of these reduced-gravity periods, which could be valuable for certain advanced research applications.
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/.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States securities laws. These statements relate to analysis and other information that are based on forecasts or future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". We have based these forward-looking statements on information currently available to the Company, assumptions the Company believes are reasonable and our current expectations about future events or performance. While we believe these expectations are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Our actual future results may differ materially from those discussed or implied in our forward-looking statements for various reasons. Factors that could contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the ability to obtain the necessary permits and approvals to operate, the Company's ability to develop new products and/or services, the approval of the Company's application for a launch license and the timing thereof, the Company's expansion to Midland, Texas, the adoption by the market of the Company's method of satellite deployment, the Company's continued business arrangements, market trends and competition in the Company's industry, the future diversification of the Company's revenue streams and the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing, and other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Commission. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurances that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effect on, the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made only as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy the Company's securities.
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