Stoke Space is a Kent, Washington rocket company developing fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicles. Its first orbital vehicle, Nova Pathfinder, pairs seven full-flow staged-combustion Zenith engines with a reusable Andromeda upper stage whose actively cooled metallic heat shield is integrated into the engine.
Latest update Oct 19, 2026
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On September 8, 2026 Stoke completed an initial $1 billion Series E close (co-led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital), bringing total capital raised to $2.3 billion at a reported valuation of roughly $10 billion, and publicly unveiled Nova Block 2, a larger 15-metric-ton-class reusable rocket (about 23 metric tons expendable) with 14 Zenith engines and a 5-meter fairing, targeted for first flight in 2029. Pathfinder's first orbital launch has slipped from late 2026 to early 2027 and will carry an AstroForge asteroid-prospecting spacecraft; Stoke plans multiple Pathfinder flights through 2027-2028. The company sits in the U.S. Space Force's NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 pool (ceiling raised to about $17B in July 2026) but cannot compete for launch-service task orders until Pathfinder flies. Moses Lake is expanding from 75 to 550 acres so Pathfinder and Block 2 test campaigns can run in parallel, and SLC-14 at Cape Canaveral is essentially complete and awaiting flight hardware.
stokespace.comUpdated Sep 9, 2026
Analysis · 5 min read · Jul 17, 2026The long view on Stoke Space: strategy, technology and what to watch02
Late 2026
Expand the Moses Lake Test Site from 75 to 550 acres so Pathfinder and Block 2 campaigns can run without overlapping blast radii. Grant County found the permit application procedurally complete in July 2026; Stoke's September 8, 2026 roadmap says the extra acreage will add purpose-built stands from engine components through complete stages.
Early 2027
After the September 8, 2026 Series E announcement, Stoke recast the first orbital vehicle as Nova Pathfinder and slipped first flight from late 2026 to early 2027. CEO Andy Lapsa said the second stage will ship to Moses Lake shortly for structural acceptance and a static hot-fire, after which the booster goes to Cape Canaveral for pad wet-dress and static fire at SLC-14 before the stages are stacked. The inaugural Pathfinder mission will carry an AstroForge asteroid-prospecting spacecraft; Stoke has also booked Celestis 'Infinite Flight' and says the Pathfinder manifest is fully booked for the next couple of years. Multiple Pathfinder flights are planned through 2027 and 2028.
2027-2028
Fly multiple Pathfinder missions in 2027 and 2028 to validate Nova's rapid-refurbishment architecture, actively cooled upper-stage heat shield, and reusable ground systems at Cape Canaveral before Block 2 enters service.
2029
TargetAfter first Pathfinder flight / through June 2029
Complete the initial capabilities assessment and tailored mission-assurance work required to compete for National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 missions. In July 2026 the Space Force raised the Lane 1 pool ceiling from $5.6B to about $17B. Stoke still holds only its initial capabilities-assessment task order; Payload reported on September 8, 2026 that Lane 1 providers generally become eligible to compete for launch-service task orders only after a successful first launch, which Pathfinder has not yet flown.
2029
Use Pathfinder flight data and the Series E war chest to finish Block 2 hardware, test infrastructure, and a Cape payload-processing facility sized for both vehicles, then fly the 15-metric-ton-class reusable rocket. First launch is targeted for 2029.
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Stoke Space said on September 8, 2026 it completed an initial close of a billion-dollar Series E co-led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital, bringing total capital raised to $2.3 billion. Reuters reported the round values the company at roughly $10 billion. The same day Stoke unveiled Nova Block 2, a larger fully reusable rocket with 14 Zenith engines and a 5-meter fairing targeting 15 metric tons to low Earth orbit in 2029, while Nova Pathfinder's first orbital flight slipped to early 2027.
France's space ministry said SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space and Starcloud canceled attendance at President Emmanuel Macron's International Space Summit in Paris on September 9-10 after the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a call with US firms planning to go. Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, said officials warned that showing up could be read as support for European space-policy positions Washington opposes, including the EU Space Act and mobile-satellite spectrum rules, but did not explicitly order a boycott. Some planned US-European announcements were also dropped; an OSTP official said the administration still looks forward to talks at the summit on science, exploration and space security.
Reuters (via WSAU) Politico Ars Technica + SpaceX+ Blue Origin+ Starcloud
Stoke Space completed its Nova first-stage engines and conducted fit checks mating the second stage, payload module and Andromeda 2 engine in mid-August, ahead of the rocket's planned debut later in 2026. Construction of Nova's launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 is now essentially complete and awaiting flight hardware, as the company separately works to close a roughly $1 billion Series E.
Stoke Space is raising about $1 billion in a Series E at a pre-money valuation near $9 billion, with the round targeted to close in August, to accelerate development and production of its fully reusable Nova rocket, Bloomberg reported. The raise follows a Series D that was extended to $860 million in February. Stoke has completed its first-stage engines and run fit checks mating Nova's payload module, second-stage tanks and Andromeda 2 engine ahead of the vehicle's debut.
Stoke Space is raising roughly $1 billion for its fully reusable Nova rocket at a valuation of about $9 billion, Bloomberg reported August 13, more than four times the over $5 billion valuation the company reached in a prior round and up from about $1 billion in 2023. Unlike SpaceX's partially reusable Falcon 9, Nova is designed to reuse both its booster and its actively cooled second-stage engine and heat shield; the round has reportedly not yet closed and terms could still change.
Stoke Space announced plans on August 3 to add test facilities on 324 acres across the road from its existing Moses Lake, Washington site, aiming to break ground on the first section as soon as possible with approval hoped for in the second half of 2026. The expansion supports continued development of the Nova rocket, whose first stage completed proto-qualification testing at the site in June, as Stoke works toward Nova's debut launch from Cape Canaveral later this year.
NASA selected Stoke Space for a collaboration to mature the upper-stage entry, descent and landing technologies of its fully reusable Nova rocket, the company said in late June. Awarded through NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate under an Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, the agreement gives Stoke access to NASA Ames's hypervelocity free-flight test facilities along with the agency's aerodynamics and guidance, navigation and control expertise. The work targets how Nova's second stage survives and is recovered after returning from orbit.
Stoke Space said it completed proto-qualification of its Nova rocket's first stage at Moses Lake, Washington, in early June, passing 46 structural verification tests plus fluid-system, avionics and ground-support checks over three weeks - including operation through hurricane-force winds and lightning. The milestone keeps the fully reusable medium-lift Nova on track for its debut from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex-14 by the end of 2026. Separately, memorial-spaceflight firm Celestis booked Nova for 'Infinite Flight,' its second deep-space mission carrying cremated remains into heliocentric orbit.
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Fully reusable two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle (Stoke's first orbital configuration) with a reusable fairing and a downmass-capable upper stage designed to prove full-reuse technologies in flight while carrying customer payloads.
Larger fully reusable Nova configuration developed in parallel with Pathfinder: 14 Zenith first-stage engines, a cylindrical upper stage with a 5-meter fairing, and an Andromeda Block 2 upper stage using 12 independent engines (24 thrust chambers) for engine-out resilience. Aimed at constellation deployment and replenishment.
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about 50 Moses Lake, 50 Cape Canaveral, remainder Kent
Boltline software revenue growing; launch business still pre-flight
$2.3B raised to date after a $1B Series E initial close on Sept 8, 2026; Reuters reported the round values Stoke at roughly $10B
Pathfinder: 3,000 kg reusable / 7,000 kg expendable; Block 2: 15,000 kg reusable / ~23,000 kg expendable
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Operating status
Late Development / Pre-Launch
On September 8, 2026 Stoke closed an initial $1B Series E (total raised $2.3B; reported valuation about $10B) and recast its first orbital vehicle as Nova Pathfinder, with first flight now targeted for early 2027 rather than late 2026. The Pathfinder first stage has completed proto-qualification (46 structural tests at Moses Lake in June 2026); flight-configuration Zenith engines are complete and shipped; second-stage fit checks are done; CEO Andy Lapsa said the second stage will ship to Moses Lake shortly for acceptance testing and a static hot-fire, after which the booster goes to Cape Canaveral for pad wet-dress and static fire at SLC-14. The pad is essentially complete and awaiting flight hardware. Stoke also unveiled Nova Block 2 (15 t reusable / ~23 t expendable to LEO, 2029 first flight) and is expanding Moses Lake from 75 to 550 acres so both vehicles can be tested in parallel. The company remains in the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 pool but cannot compete for launch-service task orders until Pathfinder flies.
Planned launch services on Nova Pathfinder and later Nova Block 2. CEO Andy Lapsa said on September 8, 2026 that the Pathfinder manifest is fully booked for the next couple of years, including an AstroForge asteroid-prospecting debut payload and memorial-spaceflight company Celestis, which booked a Nova launch in December 2025 for its 'Infinite Flight' deep-space mission. Block 2 customer talks are in early stages.
Government Development & National-Security Contracts
Technology development has been funded by U.S. government partners, and the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 award gives Stoke an initial task order plus the ability to compete for future national-security launch work.
Boltline Hardware Engineering Software
Cloud-based hardware engineering software commercialized from Stoke's internal tooling and sold across industries including aerospace, defense, climate tech, biotech, and advanced manufacturing.
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How past announced dates turned out.
1/3announced dates hit on time
Close reported $1B funding round at ~$9B valuation
Target August 2026 (slipped; closed September 8, 2026) · Resolved Sep 8, 2026
Stoke completed an initial close of its billion-dollar Series E on September 8, 2026, co-led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital, bringing total capital raised to $2.3 billion. Reuters reported the round values the company at roughly $10 billion. The nextSteps funding entry has been removed.
Bring Nova through its first flight
Target Late 2026 · Resolved Sep 8, 2026
On September 8, 2026 Stoke said Nova Pathfinder's first orbital launch is now targeted for early 2027, a slip from the prior late-2026 window. The company recast the first vehicle as Pathfinder, named AstroForge as the debut payload partner, and said multiple Pathfinder flights will run through 2027 and 2028. The nextSteps entry has been re-dated to early 2027.
Close reported $1B funding round at ~$9B valuation
Target August 2026 (reported target to close) · Resolved Sep 1, 2026
Bloomberg reported August 13, 2026 that Stoke was raising ~$1B in a Series E at a roughly $9B pre-money valuation and aimed to close the round that month. The August target passed without a close; the round later closed as an initial $1B Series E on September 8, 2026 (see the hit entry).
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2026
Closes $1B Series E and unveils Nova Block 2; Pathfinder first flight slips to early 2027
On September 8, 2026 Stoke completed an initial close of its billion-dollar Series E, co-led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital, bringing total capital raised to $2.3 billion. Reuters reported the round values the company at roughly $10 billion. The same day Stoke publicly unveiled Nova Block 2, a larger fully reusable vehicle in development for over a year: 14 Zenith first-stage engines, a 5-meter fairing, 15 metric tons to LEO reusable (about 23 metric tons expendable per Reuters), more than 4 metric tons to GTO, and a 2029 first-flight target. Nova Pathfinder's first orbital launch slipped from late 2026 to early 2027 and will carry an AstroForge asteroid-prospecting spacecraft; Stoke plans multiple Pathfinder flights in 2027 and 2028. CEO Andy Lapsa said the Pathfinder manifest is fully booked for the next couple of years and that Moses Lake is expanding from 75 to 550 acres so Pathfinder and Block 2 testing can run in parallel.
Reported raising ~$1B Series E at roughly $9B valuation
Bloomberg reported in mid-August 2026 that Stoke Space is raising about $1 billion in a Series E at a pre-money valuation near $9 billion, targeted to close in August, to accelerate development and production of its fully reusable Nova rocket. The raise would follow the Series D that was extended to $860 million in February 2026. In parallel, Stoke has completed its first-stage engines and run fit checks mating Nova's payload module, second-stage tanks and Andromeda 2 engine ahead of the vehicle's inaugural flight, targeted for late 2026. The round is reported as in progress and had not been confirmed closed.
Announces 324-acre Moses Lake test site expansion
On August 3, 2026 Stoke announced it will add test facilities on 324 acres across the road from its existing Moses Lake, Washington site, aiming to break ground on the first section as soon as possible with approval hoped for in the second half of 2026. Grant County found Stoke's permit application procedurally complete on July 6, 2026, with a public comment period that closed July 27, 2026; the initial proposal disturbs about 19.5 acres of a roughly 634-acre parcel (leased from the Port of Moses Lake) for two rocket engine test stands plus propellant storage, piping, and supporting infrastructure, and county officials expect to issue a Determination of Non-Significance rather than require a full environmental impact statement. The expansion adds capacity for testing more rocket components at once as Nova development continues toward the vehicle's first orbital flight, targeted for late 2026 from Cape Canaveral; construction on the expansion itself is expected to begin later in 2026 and continue into early 2027.
Nears completion of Space Launch Complex 14 at the Cape
By July 2026 Stoke's rebuild of the historic Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral is essentially complete and appears ready for operations, with the umbilical tower painted a vibrant red as a tribute to the early Space Coast era. Teams are outfitting the umbilical support structure and have installed propellant and commodity pipework on the launch mount following successful water deluge system testing; on the LOX side, crews added two more vertical tanks plus three large horizontal tanks (170,000 gallons each), with propellant farms arranged 120 degrees apart around the pad and using pressure builders rather than mechanical pumps. The activated pad, paired with Nova's first stage having cleared proto-qualification, positions Stoke for Nova's inaugural orbital flight, targeted no earlier than late 2026.
Kevin Weil joins Stoke Space board of directors
In early July 2026 Stoke Space appointed former OpenAI chief product officer Kevin Weil to its board of directors as Nova nears its first flight. Weil - who first met CEO Andy Lapsa when Stoke joined Y Combinator's Winter 2020 batch and who, with his wife Elizabeth, was an early Stoke investor through their Scribble Ventures fund - adds high-profile technology and product-scaling experience to the board of the reusable-rocket startup.
NASA partners with Stoke to scale reusable launch and re-entry
On July 6, 2026 Stoke Space announced NASA had selected it for a collaboration to advance the upper-stage re-entry capabilities of Nova. Awarded through NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate under an Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, the partnership pairs Stoke with NASA's Ames Research Center on entry, descent, and landing (EDL) technologies for Nova's reusable second stage, drawing on Ames' hypervelocity free-flight test capabilities plus the agency's aerodynamics and guidance, navigation and control expertise. It builds on a 2020 SBIR award that seeded Stoke's Stage 2 Andromeda integrated engine and regeneratively cooled re-entry heat shield.
Nova Stage 1 completes proto-qualification
In early June 2026 Stoke completes proto-qualification of Nova's first stage at its Moses Lake, Washington test site, clearing 46 structural verification tests of the seven-Zenith-engine flight article plus fluid-system, avionics, and ground-support testing over a roughly three-week campaign. The stage was pressurized above maximum expected operating conditions with automated pressure control across fill levels, and held up through hurricane-force winds and lightning - a major step toward Nova's first orbital flight.
Flight-worthy Zenith engine testing
Stoke begins testing flight-configuration Zenith full-flow staged-combustion first-stage engines, including gimbal and turbomachinery campaigns, as it builds up to Nova's first orbital flight.
2026
2025
Celestis books Nova for second deep-space memorial mission
On December 3, 2025 memorial-spaceflight company Celestis announces it has booked a Nova launch for 'Infinite Flight,' its second deep-space Voyager mission, to carry cremated remains and DNA from Space Launch Complex 14 into permanent heliocentric orbit. The flight, targeted for Q4 2026, matches the expendable, no-recovery profile Stoke has described for Nova's debut mission.
Selected for NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1
The U.S. Space Force selects Stoke to compete for up to $5.6 billion in national-security launch task orders and awards an initial task order for capabilities assessment and tailored mission assurance.
Series C lifts total funding to $480M
Stoke raises $260 million in new investment to accelerate Nova development, scaling, and launch preparation.
2024
First successful Zenith hotfire
The company completes the first successful hotfire of its full-flow staged-combustion Zenith engine, the propulsion system for Nova's first stage.
Secures SLC-14 development license and breaks ground
After completing the environmental assessment, Stoke secures the license to develop and operate Space Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral and begins rebuilding the historic pad for Nova.
2023
2019
09
$2.8Bdisclosed across 7 rounds with a stated amount
Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds
Seed
Feb 2021
NFX, MaC Venture Capital
Series A
Dec 2021
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Spark Capital, Point72 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Alameda Research, and others
Series B
Oct 2023
Industrious Ventures
Series C
Jan 2025
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Industrious Ventures, Leitmotif, Point72 Ventures, Seven Seven Six, University of Michigan, Woven Capital, Y Combinator, and others
Series D (initial close)
Sep 2025
US Innovative Technology Fund, Washington Harbour Partners, General Innovation Capital Partners, Silicon Valley Bank, and existing investors
Series D extension
Feb 2026
Round total increased to $860M
Terms undisclosed
Series E (initial close)
Sep 2026
Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital (co-leads); General Innovation, Glade Brook Capital, US Innovative Technology, Washington Harbour Partners, Woven Capital, Y Combinator, and other new and existing investors
