Stoke Space conducts second stage fit checks, completes first stage engines ahead of Nova debut

Date:
Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:52:07 +0000

Description:
While Starship is grabbing headlines, another fully reusable vehicle is advancing towards a potential 2026 The post Stoke Space conducts second stage fit checks, completes first stage engines ahead of Nova debut appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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While Starship is grabbing headlines, another fully reusable vehicle is advancing towards a potential 2026 debut. Nova, developed by Stoke Space, is
a medium-lift vehicle that has reached several key milestones for its maiden launch over the last few weeks, including vehicle mating. The company has
also completed construction of three first-stage Zenith engines and shipped them for testing.



Novas second stage sees fit checks

At the beginning of August, Stoke announced that it had mated Novas payload module, second stage tanks, and Andromeda 2 engine for fit checks. While this mated second stage stack will likely not be used for Novas first flight, conducting fit-check tests and ensuring all vehicle structures and systems work together is a crucial milestone to reach ahead of the rockets first flight.

Novas 13.1-m second stage is designed to be fully reusable and uses the Andromeda 2 engine, fueled by liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX). The Andromeda 2 engine features a ring of 24 thrusters capable of unlimited restarts, situated around the stages regeneratively cooled heat shield that uses cryogenic LH2 to actively cool itself, eliminating the need for traditional heat-shield tiles. This active-cooling approach allows the second stage to survive the intense thermal environment of reentry. By circulating cryogenic hydrogen through the metallic base, the stage can return from orbit and land propulsively. The same thruster ring that provides main propulsion
in space enables precise control during landing.

Nova is capable of in-space refueling and will also be able to perform rendezvous, capture, and repositioning of space assets. We recently mated the payload module, second stage, and Andromeda engine at our rocket factory in Kent, WA. Fit check, check. pic.twitter.com/woKsLyAal1

Stoke Space (@stoke_space) August 7, 2026



Three flight-purpose Zenith engines completed See Also Stoke Space
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After successfully proto-qualifying its first stage in June with 46
structural objectives, Stoke recently completed the construction of three Zenith first stage engines for Novas first flight. Named Zenith 14, Zenith
15, and Zenith 16, Stoke shipped the engines to its test facility at Moses Lake, Washington, for validation testing.

The full-flow staged-combustion Zenith engines use methane (CH4) and LOX as propellants. Seven Zenith engines will power Novas reusable first stage, producing 3,110 kN of thrust at liftoff. In a fully reusable configuration, Stoke has designed Nova to deliver approximately 3,000 kg to low-Earth orbit. When the second stage is expended, the vehicle can deliver 7,000 kg to low-Earth orbit. The vehicle can also place 2,500 kg into geostationary transfer orbit.

The Nova first stage is expected to conduct return-to-launch-site landings
and droneship-like landings on later flights, although the first flight is likely to be expended. The first three of our flight one engines are
designed, built, and ready for testing.

Stage 1 Zenith engines ZE14, 15, and 16 are ready to ship from our shop floor in Kent, WA to Moses Lake for hot fire acceptance testing.

Getting our Zenith engines through qualification pic.twitter.com/o1EpFLVfY7

Stoke Space (@stoke_space) July 29, 2026



Launch Complex-14

Nova will launch from Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The storied launch site was used for Mercury-Atlas launches, including Friendship 7, which took the first American astronaut, John Glenn, into orbit. Stoke was allocated the pad in 2023, and after
several years of construction and modifications, the launch complex was
mostly completed in recent weeks. Now, Stoke will complete its final testing and pad activation before Novas debut flight.

The launch complex features a Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), where Nova stages will arrive from Washington for integration and mating ahead of launch. Once mated, the vehicles will travel approximately 213 m to the
launch mount, where they will be raised vertically. The launch mount is constructed of reinforced concrete and is capable of handling up to 1.2 million pounds of thrust from the vehicle at liftoff.

Below the mount is a steel-reinforced concrete flame trench built to contain and direct the rockets exhaust, protecting surrounding infrastructure. Next
to the launch mount, flame trench, and diverter is a 39 m umbilical support tower. This structure will supply propellants, power, and data to the vehicle while it is on the launch mount. Satellite image of Launch Complex 14. (Credit: Planet Labs/Harry Stranger)

Partnerships and Company Roadmap

Alongside the completion of its launch complex and development of Nova, Stoke and NASA recently announced a partnership through the agencys Space
Technology Mission Directorate to enhance Novas upper-stage reentry capabilities. This collaboration will enable Stoke to advance its Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) technologies by leveraging NASAs hypervelocity free-flight testing, aerodynamics, and guidance expertise at NASAs Ames Research Center. The project also aims to further develop the vehicles regeneratively cooled metallic heat shield.

Were excited and proud to partner with NASA again. We received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award in 2020 to develop a novel rocket engine configuration that resulted in the Stage 2 Andromeda integrated engine and regeneratively cooled re-entry heat shield, said Stoke in a statement.

Stoke is also reportedly raising $1 billion at a valuation of around $9 billion to accelerate Novas development and production. 2026 is set to be a pivotal year for Stoke and Nova, though many crucial milestones remain. All elements of the vehicle will need to be acceptance-tested and integrated, and the company will need to ship the rockets stages from its Washington facilities to Cape Canaveral, where they will be integrated in the companys HIF and ultimately rolled out for launch.

(Lead Image: Second stage fit checks with Andromeda 2 and the payload
module. Credit: Stoke Space)



The post Stoke Space conducts second stage fit checks, completes first stage engines ahead of Nova debut appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/08/stoke-update-081926/


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