Stoke Space’s Nova launch vehicle is a planned fully reusable 2-stage rocket. The 1st stage uses 7 Zenith Full-flow staged-combustion (FFSC) engines using Liquified natural gas/liquid oxygen (LNG/LOX) as fuel, with restartable capability and landing legs for landing. The 2nd stage is unconventionally designed around a 24-thrust chamber liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen (LH2/LOX) expander cycle rocket engine that surrounds a regeneratively cooled heat shield, thus enabling the upper stage to return to Earth from orbit without thermal tiles. The nozzle accommodates deep throttle operation even in the presence of atmospheric pressure and serves as an actively cooled metallic heat shield during atmospheric reentry. There is also a center passive bleed that aims to create an aerospike engine-like effect for improved efficiency.
facts
crawled events
- major2026-10-26Stoke Space lines up $150 million Pentagon loan for second Florida launchpad
- notable2026-09-08ImageSat International unveils EROS NOVA, a 25cm satellite with onboard AI
- major2026-09-08Stoke Space raises $1 billion Series E round, total funding hits $2.3 billion
- notable2026-08-19Stoke Space completes engine builds, fit checks ahead of Nova debut
- notable2026-08-12Nova Systems and Planet partner on space intelligence for Australian defense
- notable2026-07-17Space Force triples NSSL Lane 1 launch contract ceiling to $17 billion
- notable2026-07-15Loft Orbital orders 10 Airbus buses, 1 Apex Nova bus with option for 9 more
timeline
- 20252025-10-08Stoke Space raises $510 million Series D to scale Nova manufacturingas of 2026-07-12
- 2025-03-27Stoke Space selected for U.S. Space Force NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 programas of 2026-07-12
- 20232023-10-05Stoke Space names its rocket Nova, raises $100 million Series Bas of 2026-07-12
sources
faq
Who builds Nova?
Nova is built by Stoke Space. as of 2026-07-05
How many times has Nova flown?
Nova has flown 0 times. as of 2026-07-05
Is Nova reusable?
Nova is reusable. as of 2026-07-05