Stoke Space Aims for the Next Stage in Reusable Rockets
Stoke Space is accelerating its mission to make space launches faster, cheaper, and fully reusable. The Washington-based rocket startup, founded by former Blue Origin engineers Andy LapsaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Thomas FeldmanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has secured $510 million in Series D funding , led by US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, alongside a $100 million debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank. The new capital brings Stoke’s total funding to $990 million and strengthens its position among the most advanced contenders in reusable launch systems.
At the core of Stoke’s progress is Nova , a fully reusable two-stage rocket designed to deliver satellites directly to orbit at up to 20 times lower cost than traditional systems. Unlike most current rockets, which discard key components after launch, Nova is built for complete recovery and rapid turnaround. Its liquid-cooled heat shield allows the upper stage to withstand the heat and stress of reentry—a breakthrough that could enable near-daily launches and drastically reduce the cost of accessing space.
The fresh funding will accelerate manufacturing scale-up , the activation of Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral , and investments in supply chain and infrastructure to support high-frequency launches. Stoke’s test facility in Moses Lake, Washington , continues to play a central role in developing and validating its flight systems.
Stoke has also been awarded a National Security Space Launch contract by the U.S. Space Force , a move that underscores its growing strategic importance in the nation’s space industrial base. By targeting the medium-lift market —carrying payloads of two to twenty tons into low Earth orbit—Stoke bridges the gap between small launchers and heavy-lift rockets, offering a new level of flexibility to commercial and defense clients alike.
If Nova succeeds, Stoke could redefine how rockets are built, launched, and reused—turning the long-sought dream of fully reusable, high-cadence spaceflight into a new standard for the aerospace industry.
Source:
A.M.
