President / Founder, StratoStar Systems
Jason Krueger
I've spent two decades flying hardware to the edge of space and bringing back the data, and the hardware, that move programs forward. I founded StratoStar to give engineering teams real flight-environment data earlier than they thought possible.
Background
StratoStar started with a simple idea: make learning real. We flew student-built experiments into near-space, and over more than 20 years and 1,000+ missions, the aerospace industry noticed that the same flights could de-risk real flight hardware. That insight grew StratoStar into a full-service near-space flight test provider.
I've been hands-on across the whole mission: platform and avionics design, payload integration, launch operations, live tracking, recovery, and the descent modeling that makes recovery predictable. The throughline is the same one we started with: fly alongside the customer, not ahead of them, so their hardware sees a real environment and their team comes away with real data.
I also host the Quest to Space podcast, where I talk with the people building and flying hardware at the edge of space, the same community StratoStar serves.
Areas of Expertise
Near-space flight test
Designing and flying missions to 60,000–100,000 ft that expose hardware to a real relevant environment: near-vacuum, extreme cold, radiation, and real RF.
High-altitude balloon systems
Two decades building and operating the balloon platforms, avionics, and recovery systems that carry customer payloads to the edge of space.
Payload integration
Getting customer hardware (CubeSats, radios, sensors, deployers) flight-ready and integrated for a clean, data-rich mission.
Flight operations & recovery
Launch operations, FAA coordination, live tracking, and a 99%+ recovery record that returns hardware within 72 hours.
Descent prediction
Trajectory and descent modeling that makes recovery predictable. It is the difference between finding your payload and losing it.
TRL advancement
Helping engineering teams move hardware from TRL 5 to TRL 7 in months, with flight data structured for program and grant review.
20+
Years
1,000+
Missions
99%+
Recovery
100K ft
Altitude