Launch HN: Stoke (YC W21) – Low cost, on-demand delivery to and from space

Even the most advanced rockets today reuse only part of the vehicle (the first stage) a handful of times (the record number is 8). The upper stages of all launch vehicles are thrown away with every flight. That drives cost into each mission, and makes the flight cadence production rate limited. Rapid reuse of both stages breaks this production-limited paradigm, enabling order-of-magnitude improvements to both the cost and availability of launch. We call this ‘Reusability 2.0’.

Our team has spent the last 10+ years at Blue Origin and SpaceX working on amazing programs like Merlin 1C, BE-3, BE-4, and BE-3U. We took BE-4 from a literal blank page up through full scale testing. We’ll never forget the night we fired the full-scale engine for the first time – an intense display of raw power, the culmination of years of toil, and an unforgettable moment!

We’re massive supporters of the Blue Origin and SpaceX missions to the Moon and Mars. Humanity needs these to be successful. Over the last five years, though, we’ve witnessed a radical shift in the space economy. Hundreds of satellite companies are entering diverse markets enabled by space based IoT, earth observation, telecom, positioning, and other applications. In fact, we’re certain that all four major engines of economic growth – communication, transportation, manufacturing, and energy production – will be anchored in space within 20 years. It’s a massive shift from what was historically a government-centric industry.

This got us thinking. If we’re going to have a permanent and sustainable presence in space, and if we’re going to use it for all of our benefit, then we need one ingredient more than anything: a robust, diverse, and profitable space-based economy. It became our passion to focus on that goal, and not any other.

Since then we’ve thought hard about the end-state of the commercial space sector and realized that despite all of the progress in the last decade, the truth is that space flight is still in its infancy. Costs are still high, availability remains poor, and direct flights to final destinations are exceedingly rare. There are still orders of magnitude improvements available in all of these areas!

To make this happen, more focus is needed on 100% reusable rockets designed to operate with aircraft-like regularity and designed specifically for the commercial sector. That’s the key to really unlocking the space economy, and that’s why we founded STOKE.

Our mission starts with building a 100% reusable second stage. The design combines proven technology elements, high structural and thermal margins, and passive failure modes in critical subsystems to allow for rapid turnaround. Its engine performance will have 20% higher than any other small or medium launcher, enabling a diverse set of missions to LEO, MEO, GTO, TLI, and beyond. The upper stage will also offer unique return from orbit “down-mass” capacity. We’re starting here because routine reuse of upper stages is the last big domino to fall on the way to redefining the cost structure of launch.

In the past 10 months we’ve hired seven of the smartest people we know, developed our hardware on plan, won contracts with USAF, NASA, and NSF, and recently closed over $9M in seed funding.

We’re super excited about the team and technology we’re building, and we’re incredibly lucky to be alive for this New Space revolution. We hope we can move the ball one step further, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!