Former Blue Origin employees create “a fully and rapidly reusable” rocket
31st Dec 2021Moses Lake had recently become a springboard for the construction of a new type of reusable rocket when STOKE Space Technologies had raised $65M funding to develop this tech innovation segment. Andy Lapsa, co-founder and CEO of the company, together with Thomas Feldman – both are Blue Origin veterans – pursue a dream of creating a vehicle for multiple uses designed to fly daily.
New startup to build a fully reusable rocket
STOKE is now testing engines for an innovative vehicle with a unique design and operational capabilities to allow rapid turnaround with minimum inspection and refurbishment needed. The creation of a reusable vehicle is an important step to make the Earth sustainable. STOKE went with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, an investment firm founded to support companies developing green and sustainable energy. According to a press release, it will invest $65 million in the startup. Lapsa spent 10 years building rockets for Blue Origin, but the rocket scientist admitted that “it’s a very challenging proposition” to build a 100% reusable second-stage-to-orbit vehicle.
Stoke Space engine test
After obtaining $65 million in funding, STOKE started to expand its Moses Lake test facility, planning to conduct the first flight tests of the innovative reusable rocket at the end of 2022. Starting the year with only 5 employees, STOKE now has 29 and starts to look to fulfill a number of new positions.
STOKE is working on the development that will offer inexpensive, efficient, and sustainable orbital deliveries to the Earth’s orbit and outer space. That is going to be a new generation of fully reusable vehicles introducing sustainable practices. The engine testing had started in Moses Lake; the development and research are led by an experienced team of former Blue Origin scientists. The flight testing of the STOKE reusable rocket will take place at Moses Lake at the end of next year.
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