Starfighters Space is targeting December 2026 for a captive-carry flight of STARLAUNCH 1, an inert suborbital development vehicle intended to be carried beneath one of the company’s F-104 Starfighters. The proposed flight would move the program from design and ground-based work into flight testing, but it would not release the vehicle, ignite a motor or demonstrate a powered air launch. Its immediate purpose is to evaluate the vehicle’s behavior while attached to the aircraft, test the integration, and develop procedures for later stages.
The company has finalized the STARLAUNCH 1 airframe…