Company Overview
About Stoke Space
Stoke Space Technologies is a Kent, Washington-based aerospace launch company developing Nova — the first fully reusable two-stage rocket with both a reusable booster (first stage) and a reusable upper stage (second stage) — targeting the medium-lift launch market with a 4,500 kg to LEO payload capacity at economics enabled by full vehicle reuse rather than expendable second stages. Founded by Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman (both Boeing engineers) and backed by Y Combinator (W21) with $990 million total raised including a $510 million Series D in September 2025 led by Thomas Tull's US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), a $260 million Series C in January 2025 led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and a US Space Force National Security Space Launch contract award in 2025.
Business Model & Competitive Advantage
Stoke Space's full reusability thesis addresses the economic ceiling of SpaceX's model: SpaceX's Falcon 9 reuses the first stage booster but expends the second stage (upper stage) on every launch — the upper stage costs $15-30 million per mission and is the primary driver of Falcon 9's ~$67 million launch cost. Nova's reusable upper stage, landing under hydrogen-fueled aerospike engines with a transpiration-cooled heat shield, would eliminate this expenditure and enable launch prices potentially below $10 million for the medium-lift class. The hydrogen-cooled aerospike upper stage technology is the most technically demanding element — Stoke Space demonstrated upper stage hover tests in 2023, validating the propulsion and guidance architecture before full vehicle integration.
Competitive Landscape 2025–2026
In 2025, Stoke Space competes in the medium-lift commercial launch market with SpaceX Falcon 9 (dominant platform, $67M base price, high reliability), Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB, Neutron medium-lift in development), and United Launch Alliance Vulcan for US medium-lift launch capacity. US Space Force contract award validates Stoke Space for national security payloads — a premium market with higher margins and regulatory barriers that protect from price competition. Breakthrough Energy Ventures' backing reflects Jeff Bezos's conviction in the commercial space economy enabling climate tech (satellite observation, off-Earth industry). The 2025 strategy focuses on the Nova full-vehicle ground test campaign, completing NSSL (National Security Space Launch) certification, and demonstrating the first full flight test that de-risks the reusable upper stage design for commercial customer commitments.
Open Positions
Reddit Discussions
Key Differentiators
Market Leader
Stoke Space is recognized as a market leader in the Manufacturing sector, demonstrating strong industry presence and customer trust.
Growth Stage
Stoke Space has achieved $990M in revenue, demonstrating strong product-market fit.
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