Here is an odd way to reach space: strap a rocket under the wing of a 1950s-era fighter jet, climb to 45,000 feet at Mach 2, and let go. Starfighters Space, based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, wants to do exactly that, and the first flight step comes this December.
The company plans a captive-carry test of its Starlaunch 1 suborbital development vehicle, carried on an F-104 Starfighter. It will stay bolted beneath the wing for the entire flight, with no attempt at release. The company announced on October 13 that it had finalized the airframe design and ordered flight hardware from Italy’s Robby Moto Engineering. The hardware is inert, and it is due at the Kennedy hangar in November, where the team will assemble the vehicle and test its fit with the carrier aircraft. The flight itself is expected between Kennedy and the FAA-licensed Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville.
How it works
The idea is simple to state. A rocket launched from a fast, high aircraft begins its journey already up and moving, so it can be smaller and simpler than one launched from the ground. According to the company, Starlaunch 1 is based on the proven envelope of the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. It aims to reach sub-orbital altitude just above the Kármán line at 100 kilometres, while the larger Starlaunch 2 is meant to reach low Earth orbit. The listed performance includes 41,000 pounds-force of thrust.
The December mission is the first of several. “Our approach is deliberately incremental,” CEO Tim Franta said: build the hardware, integrate it with the aircraft, fly it, collect data, then move toward separation and powered flight. Piercarlo Ciacchi, the director of flight operations and chief pilot, calls it “step one of a multi-flight campaign.” He says the aim is to build procedures for the launch team and capture data for the FAA and the Space Force. After it comes a drop test over the Atlantic, then a demonstration of the integrated propulsion system. Starlaunch 2 development will draw on what those flights teach.
A partner for propulsion
In September, Starfighters signed a memorandum of understanding with Vaya Defense & Space, a private developer of the patented Vortex-Hybrid rocket engine. One track covers flight-testing Vaya’s hypersonic test articles. The other will assess whether its hybrid propulsion suits Starlaunch. Franta describes the technology as throttleable, restartable and non-explosive, which he says is close to ideal for something carried under an aircraft’s wing. Vaya’s shop is a short drive from the hangar.
A wind tunnel with wings
The same jet is the basis of a second product. Announced in July 2026, “Wind Tunnel in the Sky” is a reusable underwing platform for exposing sensors, avionics, materials and aerodynamic test articles to sustained Mach 2 flight in real air. It is 3.65 metres long and 178 millimetres across, the same dimensions as the AMRAAM. A typical 45-minute mission can include up to ten minutes at Mach 2 or above, the company says. Ground wind tunnels typically run only seconds at a time.
The F-104 may carry this hardware under the other wing in December on a customer-funded rideshare. It would also balance the aircraft against the asymmetric load of Starlaunch 1.
The jets
Rick Svetkoff founded Starfighters in 1995 in Clearwater, Florida, to restore and fly three former Canadair CF-104s at air shows. In the 2010s the firm shifted toward government and private contracts, such as photo chase planes, simulated enemy aircraft and ballistic-missile modelling for detection tests. In late 2025 it created Starfighters Space for air launches of small satellites and payloads, and its initial public offering raised $40 million. Franta, previously vice president of development, took over as CEO from Svetkoff in February 2026. The company plans a fleet of seven airworthy F-104s, flying from Kennedy and from Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas.
The jets themselves can also fly parabolas that, by NASA estimates, give between 60 and 90 seconds of microgravity.
Sources
- Starfighters Space CEO Tim Franta on Using Jets to Launch Payloads into Space
- Starfighters Space
- Starfighters Space Will Test Starlaunch 1 Suborbital Development Vehicle on an F-104 in December
Photo: Jenningsdavidl (CC BY-SA 3.0)
