Frequently Asked Questions

Near-space testing flies your hardware to 60,000–100,000 ft on a high-altitude balloon, exposing it to a real near-space environment — near-vacuum, −60°C to −70°C, cosmic radiation, and real RF propagation — all at once. Unlike a ground chamber that isolates one variable, it delivers integrated, in-situ flight data: the way the real environment will act on your hardware.

Near-space flight test typically advances hardware from TRL 5 to TRL 7. The flight occurs in a real “relevant environment,” which supports a TRL 6 assessment, and a “system prototype demonstration in an operational environment,” which supports TRL 7 — something standard ground tests can't satisfy on their own. StratoStar delivers a Mission Package structured for TRL assessment; your team writes the packet.

StratoStar publishes a Flight Test Calendar so you can plan around firm dates, with a typical 1–3 month turnaround from contract to flight data delivery. That's the durable advantage over free government balloon programs, which are selected annually and queued 12–24 months with no firm date.

The Flight Qualification Service (FQS) flies payloads up to 6 lb at 80,000–100,000 ft for 2–3 hours. The Integrated Flight Service (IFS) flies payloads up to 20 lb at 60,000–80,000 ft of sustained float for 3–6 hours, with real-time telemetry and commanding.

At 80,000–100,000 ft, your hardware sees under 1% of sea-level pressure (near-vacuum), ambient temperatures of −60°C to −70°C, cosmic radiation, and real RF propagation at orbital-relevant distances. It is the closest achievable analog to low-Earth orbit without an orbital slot.

Yes — every mission is firm-fixed price: the number we quote is the number you pay, with no scope creep or surprise invoices. Pricing is based on payload weight. The Flight Qualification Service (FQS) starts at $3,400/lb with a 2 lb minimum; the Integrated Flight Service (IFS) starts at $3,700/lb with a 4 lb minimum. Both add a Mission Access Fee, and both are quoted as one clean, firm-fixed number built to move straight into your approval chain. Private Missions are available on request.

99%+. Across 1,000+ missions over 20+ years, StratoStar recovers and returns payloads at a 99%+ rate, with hardware back in your hands within 72 hours of landing.

TVAC isolates thermal and vacuum behavior in a ground chamber. Near-space flight test applies thermal, vacuum, radiation, and real RF propagation simultaneously, in flight — conditions a chamber can't reproduce together — and it generates genuine flight heritage rather than “tested in a simulated environment.” The two are complementary; StratoStar is additive to your existing test program.

Finding an issue is a successful outcome — that's the point of testing before orbit or platform integration. You get the flight data showing exactly how your hardware behaved, your hardware back within 72 hours, and the chance to iterate and re-fly. A problem found on a near-space flight is far cheaper than the same problem found on orbit or on a multi-million-dollar platform.

Yes, on the Integrated Flight Service (IFS). IFS flies a Starlink-backed two-way link for the full mission — live telemetry down and live commands up — so you can operate your payload, change settings, and chase anomalies in real time at altitude, rather than waiting for a post-flight download.

CubeSat and small-sat teams, space component manufacturers, prime contractors, defense and SBIR programs, university and agency research labs, and suppliers of stratospheric UAS payloads bound for HAPS/HALE platforms. The common thread: hardware that must perform at the edge of space and needs real flight data before the next, more expensive step.

Yes. The Mission Package includes an engineering report structured for TRL assessment, full environmental characterization, your payload telemetry, and photography and video — the documentation a NASA or DoD program review expects to see for a relevant-environment demonstration. StratoStar runs US-based, US-person operations that support ITAR-controlled programs.

Yes. StratoStar can fly payloads for international customers. International engagements carry additional cost — reflected in the Mission Access Fee on your firm-fixed quote — and the customer is responsible for all export licensing, filing, and compliance (e.g., ITAR/EAR) for their hardware and data. StratoStar flies the payload; you own the regulatory paperwork. We'll scope the specifics with you on a call.

You own the data your payload generates — sensor readings, experiment results, payload-specific measurements, and any imagery captured by your own payload. StratoStar owns the platform and environmental data, the flight video and photo media collected on StratoStar's cameras, and StratoStar's own analysis and reports. Everything included in your Flight Data Package is yours to use — in publications, presentations, and grant proposals — provided you credit StratoStar when you use StratoStar-provided data or media. Each party keeps the other's proprietary information confidential. (Per the signed StratoStar Service Agreement, which controls.)