Starfighters Space Joins C-STARS Supercluster at Kennedy Space Center

Starfighters Space is expanding its role on Florida’s Space Coast by joining a new research network that aims to boost in-space manufacturing and biotechnology.

Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET) has entered a partnership with C-STARS, a proposed National Science Foundation Industry–University Cooperative Research Center focused on biotechnology, advanced materials, and in-space manufacturing. The collaboration links Starfighters’ F-104 fleet at Kennedy Space Center with universities including the University of Florida, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida A&M University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The move positions the Space Coast as a hub for research that could shape the growing in-space manufacturing industry.

The in-space manufacturing market is expected to grow from $4.6 billion in 2030 to $62.8 billion by 2040, according to a 2023 MarketsandMarkets report. A separate analysis by Allied Market Research estimates the broader in-space manufacturing, servicing, and transportation market will reach $135.3 billion by 2040. These projections are driving increased investment in the region, where commercial and academic groups are working together to develop technologies for space-based production.

C-STARS aims to create a research ecosystem that bridges laboratory experiments with commercial applications. Starfighters’ involvement brings its supersonic aircraft and infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center into direct contact with academic institutions and industry partners. The company’s fleet, based at the spaceport, will support testing and development of materials and biotechnology that function in microgravity environments.

The partnership includes companies like Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG), and Intuitive Machines (Nasdaq: LUNR). These firms are part of a broader effort to build a commercial ecosystem on the Space Coast, which has long been a center for space launches but is now shifting toward research and development.

The collaboration is part of a larger trend as federal agencies, universities, and private companies increasingly collaborate on the Space Coast. With NASA, SpaceX, and other organizations based in the area, the region is becoming a focal point for innovation in space-related industries.