Blog

Insights on near-space flight testing, mission operations, and STEM education from the StratoStar team.

NASA JPL engineer Joel Steinkraus stands between both MarCO CubeSats on a lab bench: one folded for stowage, the other with its solar panels and flat X-band reflectarray high-gain antenna deployed.
Industry Insights

Your CubeSat Link Budget Isn’t Flight Data

A link budget predicts. A stratospheric flight measures — packet delivery, signal strength and command success from your own radio and ground station, over documented range and geometry.

Two NASA JPL engineers in cleanroom suits inspect a MarCO CubeSat, examining its internal wiring and gold thermal blanketing on a test bench
Industry Insights

How Do You Prove a Satellite Works as a System Before It Reaches Orbit?

Prove your integrated satellite works as a system—power, software, link, operations—in a near-space flight before it reaches orbit.

An engineer adjusts a CubeSat in a cleanroom during integration
Industry Insights

Does a High-Altitude Balloon Flight Count as TRL 6 or TRL 7 for Space Hardware?

Near-space balloon flight is a defensible TRL 6 relevant-environment demonstration—and a narrow TRL 7 case for stratosphere-operating hardware. Here's how to frame it for your review.