Inside The Startup Building Reusable Rockets
Y Combinator Startup Podcast
6 DAYS AGO
Inside The Startup Building Reusable Rockets
Inside The Startup Building Reusable Rockets

Y Combinator Startup Podcast
6 DAYS AGO
In the high-stakes world of aerospace innovation, a small team of engineers is betting everything on a radical idea: a rocket that doesn’t just land, but flies again and again—without costly rebuilds. This is the story of their audacious mission to redefine spaceflight from the ground up.
Stoke Space is pioneering a fully reusable orbital rocket, the Nova, with its second stage capsule Andromeda designed to endure re-entry through advanced heat shielding and propulsion. Founded in 2019 by ex-Blue Origin engineers Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman, the company began with backyard prototyping during a pandemic and rapidly scaled through hands-on engineering and strategic vision. Backed by Y Combinator and nearly $990 million in funding, they've achieved critical milestones including engine tests and factory expansion, aiming for orbital launch this year. Their edge lies in vertical integration, rapid iteration, and proprietary software like Boltline, which streamlines operations. By building their own launch site at Cape Canaveral, they’re not just preparing for one flight—they're designing for daily reuse, a leap that could transform access to space and accelerate the space economy.
05:44
05:44
Stoke Space built their first prototype engine in a shipping container in Tom's backyard
09:15
09:15
Stoke Space raised about $990 million and is operating efficiently
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12:15
Making parts in-house shortens the iteration cycle.
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13:57
Stoke Space aims to enable daily rocket launches from Cape Canaveral.