By 
Issued on behalf of Starfighters Space, Inc.
Two senior leaders from Blue Origin’s New Glenn program are joining Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET) — the latest signal that operational talent is migrating across the listed space sector.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada News Group News Commentary — Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET) just pulled two senior operational leads out of one of the highest-profile launch programs in the United States.
The Company today announced that Jose Arias, formerly Senior Manufacturing Engineer and Integration & Production Lead on Blue Origin’s New Glenn program, is joining as Vice President, Space Operations, and that Catrina L. Medeiros, formerly Operations Manager for the New Glenn Stage 2 and Precision Cleaning Facility programs, is joining as Director, STARLAUNCH Operations. [1]
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The pitch from Starfighters CEO Tim Franta is straightforward: the next barrier in commercial space is not access, but execution at tempo. He framed the hires as direct experience in the transition “from demonstration to sustained, high-frequency mission execution,” with Mr. Arias having led integration cycle-time improvements at Blue Origin from 76 days down to 13 days. [1]
The hires follow a steady run of program updates: STARLAUNCH 1 progress with GE Aerospace through wind tunnel testing and Critical Design Review, an expanded technical interchange with Blackstar Orbital around its SpaceDrone reusable platform, and a partnership with Mu-G Technologies to support microgravity flight missions. [1]
It is also a moment when the sector is paying close attention to talent. With SpaceX progressing toward a confidentially-filed IPO at a reported valuation in the $1.75 trillion to $2 trillion range, and a roadshow targeted for the week of June 8, 2026, every other listed space operator is being repriced — and re-evaluated on the question of who can actually convert backlog into flights. [2]
Other developments across the listed space sector:
Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) has been tying space hardware to defense contracting at speed. The Company recently locked in more than $20 million in follow-on Q1 FY2026 purchase orders from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps PMA-263 FoSUAS Team for its Stalker UAS systems, including the Marine Corps’ first buy of the Advanced Navigation Stalker Block 30 configuration, building on a deployed fleet of over 250 Stalker aircraft. [3] Redwire reports Q1 2026 earnings on May 6, with analyst estimates calling for revenue up as much as 70% year-over-year to $104.6 million. [4]
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has continued to convert international demand into bookings, with the Company winning a competitive $25 million multi-year “Assured” contract with a major international defense customer for prioritized access to its Gen 3 imagery and AI-enabled maritime domain awareness analytics, alongside multiple seven-figure Assured contracts and extensions with international defense customers. [5] BlackSky also received a seven-figure award extension under the NGA Luno A Facility Monitoring Delivery Order to continue high-cadence, AI-enabled change detection across more than 14 million square kilometers. [5]
Firefly Aerospace Inc. (Nasdaq: FLY) posted Q1 2026 revenue of $80.9 million on May 4, up 45% year-over-year and a record quarter for the Company. [6] Firefly was selected to support the U.S. Space Force’s Space-Based Interceptor program under Golden Dome — a select group of contracts valued up to $3.2 billion to develop next-generation space-based tracking and interceptors integrated with AI — and also received a $109 million Space Force FORGE award for an AI-enabled missile defense system. [6] The Company has guided to 2026 full-year revenue between $420 million and $450 million. [7]
Voyager Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: VOYG) capped Q1 2026 with a record backlog of $275.3 million, up 54% year-over-year, and raised its 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $230 million to $255 million — implied growth of 39% to 53% over last year. [8] The Company secured multiple Golden Dome program awards, was selected alongside Anduril for the Space Force’s $3.2 billion space-based interceptor prototype initiative, and recently won a Raytheon agreement to develop advanced technologies for the Standard Missile interceptor program. [8] CEO Dylan Taylor highlighted the Company’s $641.4 million liquidity position as supporting record innovation spend on Golden Dome, advanced mission-critical electronics, and AI-accelerated manufacturing. [8]
Bottom line for Starfighters’ positioning
Starfighters’ move is a reminder that in a sector being repriced around cadence, talent often moves before capital does. Blue Origin alumni now sit inside Starfighters’ STARLAUNCH program, GE Aerospace remains engaged through Critical Design Review, and the F-104 fleet at NASA Kennedy Space Center continues to function as a MACH 2+ commercial test platform that no other listed operator can match.
For more information on Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET) please visit: https://starfightersspace.com/ or https://usanewsgroup.com/fjet-landing
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