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 — 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