Stoke Space completes Nova Stage 1 structural verification

Date:
Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:51:42 +0000

Description:
Stoke Space completed proto-qualification of the first stage of its Nova rocket at its testing The post Stoke Space completes Nova Stage 1 structural verification appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Stoke Space completed proto-qualification of the first stage of its Nova rocket at its testing site in Moses Lake, Washington, in early June 2026.
This milestone paves the way for the debut of the medium-lift Nova vehicle targeted for the end of 2026 from the historic Launch Complex-14 (LC-14) in Cape Canaveral.



Nova Stage 1

Stoke has completed 46 structural verification tests of its first-stage
flight article, in addition to testing critical fluid systems, avionics, and ground support systems during a three-week period.

During the campaign, the company filled both fuel tanks above the maximum expected pressure conditions and demonstrated automated pressure control across various fill levels.

The stage operated during challenging environmental conditions, including hurricane-force winds and lightning, proving its structural and operational robustness. Last week a thunderstorm rolled through the Moses Lake area, causing high winds (but no damage) at our test site. Excellent preparation by the local team ensured that our Stage 1 structure held fast despite wind, rain, and lightning. pic.twitter.com/Vjyywpbrbl

Stoke Space (@stoke_space) June 4, 2026



More than just a successful structural test campaign, the result was a
broader demonstration that Novas hardware, software, ground systems, and operations approach are maturing together, stated the company in a June 8
news release.

The margin between light enough to fly and robust enough to survive is narrow and proving that margin requires disciplined testing at increasing levels of complexity.

The Nova vehicle features a 27.1-meter reusable first stage that will use return-to-launch-site (RTLS) or droneship landing capabilities for recovery. The stage is powered by seven full-flow staged combustion Zenith engines, fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX), a propellant combination otherwise known as methalox. The vehicle can generate 3,110 kN of thrust at liftoff.

The engines have undergone hours of vertical hot-fire testing in the twin
cell firing stand at the Moses Lake site. The vehicle will receive its
engines in the coming months and then undergo further testing and
verification before its eventual departure to Cape Canaveral for final
vehicle integration and launch. Sound on: epic fly-by footage of the ongoing Zenith engine testing and Stage 1 structural qualifications happening at our test site in Moses Lake. pic.twitter.com/WTx3MoZSmh

Stoke Space (@stoke_space) June 2, 2026



Nova Stage 2

The Nova vehicle can deliver up to 3,000 kg to low-Earth orbit in a reusable configuration and 7,000 kg when the spacecraft is expended. The vehicle can also deliver 2,500 kg to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 1,250 kg to translunar injection (TLI). See Also Stoke Space Discussion Commercial Space Flight Section NSF Store Click here to Join L2

The second stage uses a single Andromeda 2 engine, capable of unlimited in-space restarts, fueled by liquid hydrogen (LH2) and LOX. The engine consists of a distributed ring of 24 3D-printed thruster chambers, which wrap around the heat central shield, which protects the stage on reentry. In addition to propelling Novas upper stage, Andromedas thrusters also provide attitude control and precise maneuvering.

Stoke designed Andromeda 2s thruster nozzles to operate in both the vacuum of space and the atmosphere. The engine has a sea-level mode, which will produce a stable plume expansion during propulsive landing, while the vacuum mode produces a high expansion rate for performance in space.

The second stage features a regeneratively cooled metallic heat shield, which flows liquid hydrogen through the shield during reentry. This uses tanks and fluid flows that already exist to feed the engine to actively cool the spacecraft. By combining the actively cooled heat shield with the upper stage engine, Stoke hopes to reduce the refurbishment required between flights. Earlier testing of the Nova Stage 2. (Credit: Stoke Space)

Stoke conducted a hopper test with a prototype of its second stage in 2023, and its first Andromeda 1 engine test was completed in February 2024. The second stage flight hardware also completed structural qualification at the Moses Lake site in 2025.

Additional Andromeda 2 hot-fires will occur before the engines integration with the flight vehicle. Further acceptance testing will be completed before the second stage is delivered to Florida for full integration with Nova Stage 1 in Stokes Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF).

The fully assembled vehicle will measure 40.2 meters in height and be 4.2 meters in diameter, with a fully reusable payload fairing providing a 180-degree by 360-degree deployment hemisphere.

Novas first mission will be to a heliocentric orbit with the vehicle
expended, to prove its capabilities and reduce risk on its debut flight.
Later missions will test the recovery of both the first and second stages. Rendering of the full second stage (Credit: Stoke Space)

Launch Complex-14

Stoke Space acquired LC-14, the launch complex that delivered the first American to orbit, in 2023. The company refurbished the storied launch
complex within a year to support its fully reusable vehicle, with the pad fully complete in early 2026. More than 8,000 kg of concrete from the
original Mercury/Atlas era were crushed and reused to create roads and structural foundations on the rebuilt Nova site.

The launchpad features a steel-reinforced flame trench that goes over nine meters (30 ft) into the ground. The infrastructure was built to contain and redirect the rockets exhaust, protecting the pads structure.

The reinforced concrete launch mount has 32 m (105 ft) deep concrete pilings and was designed to react to up to 5.3 MN (1.2 million lbf) of thrust at liftoff. Next to the launch mount is a nearly 37 m (121 ft) umbilical support structure. The tower will deliver power, fuel, and data to the rocket while
it is on the pad up until launch. Launch Complex-14 with Stokes flame trench and diverter (Credit: Stoke Space)

Stoke will transport all components of the Nova rocket from Washington to the companys Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) in Florida. The parts will be positioned horizontally, then mated in the HIF, while thorough systems checkouts are also conducted. Once fully assembled, the company will roll the vehicle to the launchpad before raising it vertically.

The buildout of infrastructure is fueled by a massive capital injection. The company has raised over 1.34 billion dollars, as of June 2026, under Series D funding, a figure that will accelerate product development and expansion. Stoke, founded in 2020 by former SpaceX and Blue Origin employees, aims to provide a lower-cost, on-demand access to space using its fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle.

As more companies continue to develop reusable vehicles, the competition will continue to grow for the delivery of payloads to orbit. As well as deploying spacecraft, Novas second stage will be capable of rendezvousing, capturing, and repositioning existing spacecraft and debris. This technology is critical for spaceflight, as orbital debris poses an increasing risk for future space missions.

(Lead image: Nova Stage 1 during its proto-qualification in Moses Lake, Washington. Credit: Stoke Space)



The post Stoke Space completes Nova Stage 1 structural verification appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/06/stoke-nova-update/


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