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Stoke Space

AActiveFounded 2019🇺🇸Kent, Washington
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CEO

Andy Lapsa

Overview

Stoke Space is a Kent, Washington rocket company developing Nova, a fully and rapidly reusable medium-lift launch vehicle built for low-cost, on-demand transport to, through, and from space. Its architecture pairs a full-flow staged-combustion first stage with a reusable upper stage whose actively cooled metallic heat shield is integrated into the engine, enabling downmass capability, high-energy missions, and minimal-refurbishment reentry. Stoke is now scaling production capacity and bringing Space Launch Complex 14 online at Cape Canaveral ahead of Nova's first flights.

Main Products

Nova

Nova

In Development

Fully reusable two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle with a reusable fairing and a downmass-capable upper stage designed for rapid turnaround and high-energy missions.

Upper-stage flight testing was completed in 2023, the Zenith first-stage engine hotfired in 2024, and Stoke is activating SLC-14 for Nova's first flights.

Payload to LEO3,000 kg reusable / 7,000 kg max
Reusable100% rocket + fairing
Payload to GTO2,500 kg
Stage 1 EngineZenith FFSC, 100,000+ lbf thrust
Stage 2 EngineAndromeda 2, 24 thrusters, 25,000+ lbf thrust
PropellantsStage 1 LNG/LOX; Stage 2 LH2/LOX

What's Next

Bring Nova through its first flight

With SLC-14 rebuilt and flight-worthy Zenith engines in test, use the expanded Series D financing to complete development and fly Nova on its first orbital launch, targeted for late 2026.

Late 2026

Start competing for NSSL task orders

Complete the initial capabilities assessment and tailored mission-assurance work required to compete for National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 missions.

Through June 2029

Prove high-cadence reusable launch operations

Move from development testing to operational launch cadence by validating Nova's rapid-refurbishment architecture and reusable ground systems at Cape Canaveral.

Post-first flight

Operations & Revenue

StatusLate Development / Pre-Launch

Stoke has completed upper-stage flight testing and first-stage Zenith hotfires, rebuilt Space Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, and is now testing flight-worthy Zenith first-stage engines (gimbaling and turbomachinery campaigns). It is using its expanded Series D financing to carry Nova through its first orbital flight, targeted for late 2026.

Revenue Streams

Nova Launch Services (future)

Planned launch services using Nova for commercial and government payloads, with Stoke citing a growing manifest of contracted launches ahead of first flights.

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.

Key Metrics

Employees

~350

Est. Annual Revenue

Not publicly disclosed (Boltline software revenue growing; launch business still pre-flight)

Total Funding

$1.34B raised to date

Target Payload to LEO

3,000 kg reusable / 7,000 kg max

NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 Ceiling

$5.6B through June 2029

Timeline

2026Series D extended to $860M

Stoke extends its previously announced Series D round to $860 million, bringing total capital raised to $1.34 billion as it pushes Nova toward market entry.

2026Flight-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.

2025Series C lifts total funding to $480M

Stoke raises $260 million in new investment to accelerate Nova development, scaling, and launch preparation.

2025Selected 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.

2024Secures 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.

2024First 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.

2023Hopper2 upper-stage flight test

Stoke flies its full-scale reusable upper-stage prototype, demonstrating vertical takeoff, differential-thrust steering, and propulsive landing.

2019Founded

Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman, both former Blue Origin engineers, found Stoke Space to build a fully reusable rocket.

Funding

RoundDateAmountInvestorsSource
SeedFeb 2021$9.1MNFX, MaC Venture Capital
Series ADec 2021$65MBreakthrough Energy Ventures, Spark Capital, Point72 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Alameda Research, and others
Series BOct 2023$100MIndustrious Ventures
Series CJan 2025$260MBreakthrough 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$510M + $100M debt facilityUS Innovative Technology Fund, Washington Harbour Partners, General Innovation Capital Partners, Silicon Valley Bank, and existing investors
Series D extensionFeb 2026Round total increased to $860MTerms undisclosed