Stoke Space Builds Fully Reusable Rockets With a Team That Moves Fast and Aims High

Rocket launches still make headlines, but what happens after liftoff is where meaningful progress is taking shape. At Stoke Space, a company based in Kent, Washington, the focus is not just on reaching orbit, but on making rockets that can come back safely and fly again without months of repair.

Stoke Space was founded in 2019 by Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman, both engineers who had worked inside major aerospace companies. What pushed them to start Stoke was not just ambition. It was a shared frustration with the high cost and slow turnaround of modern launch systems. They believed a better approach was possible.

Andy, now Chief Executive Officer, said their vision was shaped by commercial aviation. If airplanes can fly safely every day, he asked, why can’t rockets?

“Our view is that space should be accessible without having to rebuild a vehicle each time it flies,” Andy said. “We’re building a system designed to fly again tomorrow, not months from now.”

Designed for Daily Use

The company’s approach begins with the engine and extends outward. Stoke is building a fully reusable two-stage launch vehicle. While reusability has become a goal for many rocket builders, most still discard parts of the vehicle or require heavy refurbishment between missions.

Stoke’s second stage includes a heat shield that is built directly into the engine. The system uses active cooling instead of traditional ablative materials that burn away on reentry. This allows the rocket to return intact and ready to launch again with minimal inspection or repair.

The engine itself has a distinctive ring-shaped design that does not resemble any current commercial rocket. Early testing has been conducted at the company’s facility in Moses Lake, Washington, where the team is gradually scaling up toward full system trials.

Stoke’s first rocket, Nova, is still under development. But the company has hit several technical milestones that suggest the project is moving steadily forward.

A Team Built to Move Fast and Stay Grounded

The company has grown to more than 100 employees, many of whom come from organizations like NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin. Despite their high-level experience, the culture at Stoke is more hands-on. Engineers work directly with hardware. Meetings are brief. Progress is measured in practical outcomes, not long presentations.

Andy said the team shares a personal sense of responsibility. Every system they design must be one they would trust with their own lives.

“This is not just about building exciting tech,” Andy said. “It is about doing it right because real lives and real missions depend on what we build.”

That focus on discipline comes from Andy’s earlier role at Blue Origin, where he helped lead propulsion work for the BE-4 engine. There, he learned that reliability has to be a core part of the design process, not something added later.

Frequency as a Strategic Goal

The company’s long-term value lies not just in reusability, but in the ability to launch often. In today’s space economy, a successful launch is not enough. Customers want access to space that is fast, flexible and predictable.

Stoke’s fully reusable vehicle aims to support that demand. Lower maintenance costs, faster turnaround times and fewer delays mean more flights per year from the same hardware. That kind of efficiency would allow the company to offer better pricing and more frequent launch slots than competitors still relying on partial reuse.

Andy said that pace is where Stoke can make the biggest difference.

“If we can launch everyday or every other day with the same vehicle, we’re unlocking a new way of thinking about access to space,” he said.

Rapid reuse also holds value in government and defense work, where mission timelines are tight and flexibility is key. Stoke’s model could support launches on short notice without waiting weeks or months for the next available rocket.

Steady Progress with Purpose

Stoke is not focused on being first to market. It is focused on building something that lasts. The company has raised over $100 million from investors such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Y Combinator and Spark Capital. That funding has gone toward developing flight hardware, expanding the engineering team and scaling its test operations.

The company’s Moses Lake site allows for year-round testing and flight development without the airspace congestion of more populated launch areas. There, the team can run repeated engine firings and integrated systems checks without having to negotiate with multiple outside agencies.

Andy said each test has a specific goal. Stoke is not interested in racing ahead or launching for the sake of publicity.

“We’re not trying to win a race,” Andy said. “We’re trying to build something that can fly, land, and go back up the next day.”

The first orbital flights are expected within the next two years. Initial missions will carry internal payloads to validate performance. After that, Stoke plans to onboard commercial customers once the vehicle’s reliability has been proven through flight.

Focused on the Long Term

Stoke’s leadership does not spend time chasing media attention or releasing flashy concepts. Instead, they communicate progress through technical updates and measured steps. Andy said that building public trust is more important than appearing in news cycles.

“We’re not going to release glossy renderings just to keep people’s attention,” he said. “We’ll show what we’re building when it’s ready.”

For Stoke, success won’t be defined by a single launch. It will be measured by what happens next—when the rocket returns, gets checked, and flies again.

The company has made it clear that it is not trying to disrupt for the sake of disruption. Its aim is to introduce a practical, scalable system that reduces cost, increases reliability and supports the expanding needs of space infrastructure.

And when that system is flying on schedule, day after day, it will be the kind of progress that speaks for itself.

Andy Lapsa, Co-Founder & CEO, Stoke Space

We are not trying to win a race. We are trying to build something that can fly, land, and go back up the next day.