Raspet Flight Research Lab

Raspet Flight Research Laboratory has been selected by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA as a prime performer for the groundbreaking Albatross program—a visionary initiative focused on developing autonomous uncrewed aircraft that harness natural energy sources such as thermals and wind for ultra-long-endurance flight.

Through this project, MSU will lead a multi-university, interdisciplinary collaboration to advance sensing, autonomous soaring algorithms, and flight testing capabilities. Raspet’s selection underscores its national leadership in uncrewed systems research, development, and airworthiness assurance.

We are honored to support DARPA’s bold mission to transform the future of uncrewed aviation.

🔗 Read the full announcement:

Mississippi State to develop autonomous soaring for federal DARPA Albatross program Mississippi State to develop autonomous soaring for federal DARPA Albatross program Contact: Claire Wilson STARKVILLE, Miss.—The federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has selected Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory to be a prime performer for ...

MSU Space Cowboys rocketry team wins challenge at 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition MSU Space Cowboys rocketry team wins challenge at 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition Members of Mississippi State’s Space Cowboys Rocketry Team pose with Helios, a rocket named after the Greek sun god. Helios’ near-30,000 foot flight secured first place in the 2025 International R...

Monday morning flight ops ✈️

We’re back in the field with the SKIRON-X platform today!

Behind every breakthrough at Raspet Flight Research Lab is a team of dedicated research engineers and engineering students pushing boundaries together. From soldering circuits to advancing uncrewed aircraft systems, innovation starts here at Mississippi State.

Continuous improvement is the name of the game. Even when we’re not on a flight operation, our flight ops team is hard at work ensuring that we are prepared and ready for the next mission.

In-field flight training is underway! A huge thanks to the Aurora Flight Sciences team for bringing the SKIRON platform and team to Raspet for hands on training this week!

We’ve had a great week on the coast for Mississippi Partners in Preparedness - MSPIP! Interim Director Bryan Farrell spoke during the general session and Austin Wingo, Charley Zera, and Tanner Roberson discussed the use of Drones as a First Responder, alongside Raspet friend and Starkville Police Department’s Mo Eguires!

Thanks to all who participated in each session and to our team for representing Raspet!

Raspet Flight Research Lab is leading two in-person UAS training courses June 3–4 in Starkville, MS as part of the ASSUREd Safe program, supported by FEMA. Both will be held at the High Performance Computing Center (HPCC).

📅 June 3: Intro to UAS Flight Operations (AWR-422)
Learn how to deploy UAS in emergency scenarios through mission planning, flight operations, sensor selection, and airspace coordination.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/assuredsafe.catalog.instructure.com/browse/fema/courses/fema-awr-422-intro-to-uas-flight-operations-starkville-ms---632025__;!!Dhw9WWooB8bE!tAPryH7ri62OTQx33n3RlZsnIKZl_i0mg_rDVzxcrJQNnNiySdkANbGhQHPkLbtB3XEwJF9CC3xH9EPje0lLpsgGhZ2xtgt5Rx0$

📅 June 4: Intro to UAS Data Analytics (PER-407)
Explore how to turn UAS imagery, video, and data into actionable products for damage assessment and emergency decision-making.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/assuredsafe.catalog.instructure.com/browse/fema/courses/fema-per-407-intro-to-data-analytics-starkville-ms---642025__;!!Dhw9WWooB8bE!tAPryH7ri62OTQx33n3RlZsnIKZl_i0mg_rDVzxcrJQNnNiySdkANbGhQHPkLbtB3XEwJF9CC3xH9EPje0lLpsgGhZ2xAYJ4ylE$

✅ Both are full-day, instructor-led, hands-on courses
✅ Free to register, FEMA-supported under the ASSUREd Safe program
✅ Open to first responders and public safety personnel

If you have any questions or want to discuss how this training may benefit your team, just let us know!

Raspet was thrilled to take flight at Presbyterian Child Development Center's Transportation Day, showcasing real aviation tech and sparking curiosity with our drones. These young minds might be small, but their imaginations are ready for takeoff! 🛩️🚁