What NASTAR Center does

NASTAR Center (National Aerospace Training and Research Center) is a commercial aerospace physiology training and research facility located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, established in 2007 by Environmental Tectonics Corporation (ETC). The company operates as ETC's specialized commercial training division and serves three primary verticals: civil aviation pilots and crew, military aviation personnel, and commercial spaceflight participants. It is the first and only FAA-authorized Commercial Space Flight Training Center, holding FAA Safety Approval SA 10-001 for the STS-400 Space Training Simulator (issued April 2010) and SA 12-004 for its 12/4 High Altitude Chamber, along with FAA Center of Excellence designation.

The facility's core technology stack includes the ATFS-400 High-Performance Human Centrifuge, the STS-400 Space Training Simulator (the only multi-axis powered, human-rated centrifuge available for public spaceflight training), an FAA-approved hypobaric altitude chamber (ASME/PVHO/NFPA/EN ISO 9001 compliant), and interactive spatial disorientation simulators (GH-100, GH-200). NASTAR is also the only U.S. research facility capable of providing tri-axial vibration simultaneously with specific G load profiles. Product offerings span Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT), altitude and hypoxia awareness, spatial disorientation, water survival, high-G physiology, night vision, and emergency egress for aviation clients, plus suborbital and orbital spaceflight participant, refresher, and advanced courses for commercial astronauts. Research services include synchronized capture of twelve physiological parameters for aerospace and defense clients.

NASTAR's business model is professional services revenue based on per-course and contract fees, with no publicly disclosed pricing—sales are conducted through direct phone/contact-form engagement. Anchor enterprise customers include SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin (training crews for Inspiration4, Ax3, NS-20, NS-26), NASA, and U.S. military branches, alongside a long tail of individual private astronauts and civil aviation operators. The company maintains a sales-led go-to-market with limited geographic presence (North America-focused, with emerging European access via the 2022 MOU with The Spaceflight Institute in Toulouse, France) and a multi-channel marketing mix spanning the company website, YouTube, social media, industry events (IAC), and earned media (WSJ, Netflix, MIT Technology Review).

Name

NASTAR Center

Legal name

National Aerospace Training and Research Center

Website

https://nastarcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NASTAR Center, a subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corporation, is the first and only FAA-authorized Commercial Space Flight Training Center, providing aerospace physiology training, research, and education to civil and military pilots, commercial spaceflight participants (SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin), and aerospace research clients at its Southampton, Pennsylvania facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Aerospace physiology training
• Commercial spaceflight training
• Human centrifuge training
• Military aviation training
• Aviation research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Aerospace Training Services: Professional training services for civil aviation pilots, military pilots, and spaceflight participants. Training programs include G-force tolerance, spatial disorientation, altitude/hypoxia awareness, water survival, and commercial spaceflight preparation. Revenue generated through course fees for initial and refresher training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NASTAR Center is a commercial aerospace physiology training, research, and educational facility that delivers FAA-approved human spaceflight training, civil and military aviation physiological training, and aerospace research services. Core offerings include Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT), altitude/hypoxia awareness, spatial disorientation training, water survival, high-G acceleration training, emergency egress training, night vision training, and suborbital/orbital spaceflight participant training using the ATFS-400 centrifuge, STS-400 space training simulator, altitude chamber, and spatial disorientation simulators.

Product overview

The NASTAR Center is a comprehensive aerospace training, research, and educational facility established by ETC in 2007. It operates as a unified platform offering three primary training verticals: Civil Aviation Training (UPRT, Altitude/Hypoxia, Spatial Disorientation, Water Survival), Military Aviation Training (High-G, Egress, SD, Altitude, Night Vision, Water Survival), and Human Spaceflight Training (Suborbital/Orbital Participant, Refresher, and Advanced programs). All spaceflight and specialized training utilizes the FAA-approved STS-400 High Performance Human Centrifuge, while aviation training employs the ATFS-400 centrifuge, altitude chamber, and spatial disorientation simulators. The facility also provides research services with real-time physiological data capture capabilities. The NASTAR Center is the first and only FAA-authorized Commercial Space Flight Training Center under Certificate SA 10-001.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Aviation Training Programs Comprehensive civil aviation training suite including Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT), Altitude and Hypoxia Awareness Training, Spatial Disorientation Training, and Water Survival Training for pilots and crew at all rating levels, including Part 135 and Part 91 commercial operators.
• Military Aviation Training Programs Comprehensive military aviation training for pilots, aircrew, physiologists, and ground professionals including High-G and Acceleration Physiology Training, Emergency Egress Training, Spatial Disorientation Training, Altitude Physiology Training, Night Vision Training, and Water Survival Training.
• Spaceflight Training Programs FAA-approved human spaceflight training suite including Suborbital Spaceflight Participant Training, Suborbital Spaceflight Refresher, Orbital Spaceflight Participant Training, Orbital Spaceflight Refresher, and Advanced Spaceflight Training using the STS-400 High Performance Human Centrifuge.
• Space and Aviation Research Services Research services providing certified flight physicians, subject matter experts, pilots, test subjects, and engineering support with the capability to record twelve physiological parameters synchronized with video and audio during commercial spaceflight, fast jet operations, and G-force exposures.

Quantifiable outcome

• First FAA-approved center meeting commercial human spaceflight training requirements (14 CFR § 460.5)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Spaceflight InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU signed for collaboration on Commercial Space Flight Training Programs. The Spaceflight Institute, based in Toulouse, France, provides Commercial Space Flight Training focused on the European Commercial Space Industry. Collaboration enables participants to train at both locations, fostering international cooperation in commercial spaceflight training.
• NASAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASTAR Center actively collaborates with NASA along with FAA and JAA to promote safety in flight and advance aerospace training standards.
• FAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAA Center of Excellence designation for research, education and training. FAA granted Safety Approval SA 10-001 for STS-400 Space Training Simulator and Safety Approval SA 12-004 for High Altitude Chamber.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CAE Inc. Global leader in aviation training and simulation, including pilot training centers and full-flight simulators. Operates at much larger scale than NASTAR but addresses adjacent civil aviation, military, and aerospace training markets.
• FlightSafety International: Major commercial aviation training organization (now part of CAE). Operates a global network of training centers for professional pilots and overlaps with NASTAR's civil aviation physiology and upset recovery training offerings.
• Environmental Tectonics Corporation (ETC): NASTAR's parent company and the manufacturer of the ATFS-400 and STS-400 centrifuges. Operates a broader aerospace and training simulation equipment business, while NASTAR functions as its commercial training services arm serving end customers.

Emerging players

• Axiom Space: Private astronaut mission provider whose crews have trained at NASTAR. Could potentially develop competing in-house training capabilities as its commercial space station and private astronaut mission business matures.

Direct peers

• The Spaceflight Institute: Toulouse, France-based commercial spaceflight training provider that signed an MOU with NASTAR to offer mutually recognized Commercial Space Flight Training Programs. Directly comparable offering targeting European commercial spaceflight operators and private astronauts.
• Zero Gravity Corporation: Provides parabolic flights for microgravity exposure, widely used by private astronauts and researchers preparing for spaceflight. Offers directly comparable commercial spaceflight preparation services alongside NASTAR's centrifuge-based programs.
• Survival Systems: Water survival training provider that designed NASTAR's water survival course. Serves the same commercial aviation and military pilot segments with adjacent life-safety training services.

Others

• Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center: Russian state-run cosmonaut training facility with comparable centrifuges and spaceflight simulators. Operates at similar equipment and curriculum scope but serves government-sponsored astronauts rather than commercial customers.
• European Astronaut Centre (EAC): ESA's astronaut training facility in Cologne, Germany. Provides comparable physiological and spaceflight preparation training for European astronauts, but is government-funded and not commercially accessible to private customers.

Regional players

• RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine: UK military aerospace medicine facility providing centrifuge, altitude, and acceleration physiology training. Operates comparable equipment and curriculum for military pilots but functions as a UK defense facility rather than a commercial provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thenastarcenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/NASTARCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/nastarcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nastar-center

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NASTAR Center