stoke Space Bets Big on Rapid, Full Reusability to Disrupt Launch Market
WASHINGTON D.C. - November 21, 2025 – Stoke Space, a seattle-based aerospace startup, is staking its future on solving what its founder calls the “only launch problem that moves the needle”: rapid and complete rocket reusability. The company aims to dramatically lower the cost of accessing space by fully reusing both the first and second stages of its small-to-medium lift launch vehicle, a feat no other operational system currently achieves.
while dozens of companies are vying for a piece of the burgeoning space launch market, Stoke Space believes true cost reduction hinges on eliminating expendable hardware.Founder and CEO Andy Lapsa, speaking at the Space Economy Summit on November 2025, explained his initial skepticism about entering the crowded field. “It was a huge question in my head: Does the world realy need a 151st rocket company?” he said. “And in order for me to say yes to that question, I had to very systematically go through all the other players, thinking about the economics of launch, about the business plan, about the evolution of these companies over time. It was very non-intuitive to me to start another launch company.”
Stoke Space’s approach centers around a unique single-piece, fully reusable rocket designed for speedy turnaround. Unlike SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which reuses only the first stage, or Rocket Lab’s Electron, which is partially reusable, Stoke’s vehicle is intended to land back at the launch site after each flight, ready for rapid refurbishment and relaunch. This capability, the company argues, will unlock a new era of responsive space access, enabling more frequent and affordable missions for a wider range of customers.
The company, backed by investors including Breakthrough Capital Ventures and Prime Movers Lab, is currently developing its rocket and aims to conduct its first orbital launch in the coming years. The Economist Group documented Lapsa’s presentation at the Space Economy Summit. If successful, stoke Space’s technology could significantly reshape the economics of space travel, impacting everything from satellite deployment to space-based manufacturing and exploration.
