Space Flight Test
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about near-space flight testing for satellite hardware and space components.
A near-space flight test flies your hardware to 60,000–100,000 ft on a high-altitude balloon platform. Your payload experiences near-vacuum, extreme cold (-60°C to -70°C), cosmic radiation, and real RF propagation conditions — an integrated, in-situ flight test environment.
TVAC isolates thermal behavior in a chamber. Near-space flight test provides an integrated environment where thermal, vacuum, radiation, and RF conditions act on your hardware simultaneously — the way they will in actual operation. Both are valuable; StratoStar is additive to traditional testing.
A near-space flight test can advance your technology from TRL 5 (component validation in a relevant environment) to TRL 7 (system prototype demonstration in an operational environment). StratoStar delivers a Mission Package structured for TRL assessment.
StratoStar publishes a Flight Test Calendar with a typical 1–3 month turnaround from contract to flight data delivery. Firm-fixed pricing, with no budget surprises.
99%+ recovery rate. Your hardware is recovered and returned within 72 hours of landing, along with a preliminary results package. The complete Mission Package follows in 4–5 weeks.