Hi Folks,
In April 2025, the Space Force awarded national-security launch contracts with an estimated combined value of roughly $13.7 Billion, covering approximately 54 missions.
SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin received those awards. The Pentagon’s objective: “assured access to space.”
That spending puts the scale of America’s launch priorities in perspective. For investors, though, some of the more interesting opportunities may develop in specialized corners of the market.
That’s why Starfighters Space (NYSE: FJET) has my attention.
The company operates flight-ready F-104 supersonic aircraft from Kennedy Space Center and is developing an air-launch platform alongside its aerospace testing services. Its initial STARLAUNCH effort targets suborbital missions.
Starfighters Space active fleet of F-104 Starfighters is the only commercial company in the world with the capability to fly at MACH 2 while launching payloads into space.
The aircraft are already operating.
To me, that gives the story a firmer starting point. FJET has an existing flight platform it can use to test hardware, support customers and advance its launch technology.
And there are two avenues worth watching.
One is small-payload air launch. The other is research and testing through its “Wind Tunnel in the Sky” service, which exposes hardware to sustained Mach 2-plus flight conditions. That service supports development work related to hypersonic technologies and other aerospace applications.
Recent agreements add substance to those plans.
Under an MOU with Vaya Defense & Space, the companies intend to evaluate propulsion for STARLAUNCH and explore flight testing of hypersonic test articles. A separate Bionetics MOU addresses preparation, integration and processing of pathfinder payloads for future missions.
These are development agreements, and the commercial results still have to follow. But they address practical pieces of the business: propulsion, payload handling and flight testing.
That’s where my bullish interest sits.
FJET has an operating fleet and several ways to put it to work. If management can increase mission frequency and convert that activity into repeat business, the investment case becomes considerably more compelling.
Financing and execution remain part of the equation. I’ll be watching paid missions, customer commitments and revenue closely.
5 Reasons Why Starfighters Space (NYSE: FJET) Has Our Attention
• Operates the world's only commercial fleet of supersonic F-104 jets—a fleet capable of staging more than 300 launches a year, on demand, without waiting on another provider's schedule.
• Starfighters Space is the only company in the world with the commercial capability to fly at sustained Mach 2+ speeds—with a fleet of iconic F-104 aircraft based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas.
• Holds exclusive launch licenses and airspace priority at Kennedy Space Center, secured through direct DoD range partnerships—a barrier to entry competitors can't simply buy their way past.
• Already counts Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory among its customers and collaborators—real, paying relationships, not letters of intent.
• Is building two independent revenue streams off one platform—a small satellite launch service now in development, plus hypersonic R&D flights already tied to the Pentagon's $2.4 Billion hypersonic testing budget.
Add FJET to your watchlist.
To your success,
Michael Reece
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