| Nova | |
| Function: | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
| Stages: | 2 |
| Status: | In development |
| Sites: | Cape Canaveral LC-14 |
| Launches: | 0 |
| Upright: | 0.6 |
| Comparable: | |
Nova is a fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle being developed by Stoke Space.[1] Announced in October 2023,[2] Stoke Space plans to use two stages with an expected payload capacity of 5 tons (5,000 kg) to low Earth orbit (LEO), with the first stage performing a return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing. The company plans to use 7 conventional full-flow staged combustion rocket engines, burning methalox. The second stage will use a hydrolox (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) engine with 30 thrust chambers ringing a regeneratively cooled heatshield,[3] eliminating the need for thermal tiles.[4] [5] A center passive bleed in the second stage aims to create an aerospike engine-like effect for improved efficiency.
The vehicle was selected as part of the Space Force's Orbital Services Program.[6]
Prior to the company's unveiling of the rocket's name, Nova, in October 2023,[7] Stoke Space noted various developments with the booster and second stage's design.
The rocket's booster will consist of seven engines designed and manufactured by the company.[8] The rocket's second stage will measure 13 feet in diameter and will stand at a height of 20 feet.[9] The second stage, in order to survive entry, will consist of a metallic heat shield and a "ring" of 30 thrusters.[10] The thrust chambers and nozzles are 3D-printed, with second-stage engines being fueled by cryogenic hydrogen.[11] The rocket, when fully stacked, will measure 4 meters in diameter and reach a height of approximately 30.5 meters.
Stoke Space in March 2023 announced that it will launch Nova from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14.[12] [13] The company also owns and operates a test launch facility in Moses Lake, Washington, from where it conducted various tests of Nova.[14]
An engine designed to be implemented on Nova's booster underwent its first test in June 2024, 18 months after the start of its development, and is designed to produce over 100,000 pounds of thrust upon lift-off.[15] Hopper tests of Nova's reusable second stage were conducted in September 2023,[16] with an engine test being conducted in February 2024. A proof-test of a shortened first stage test tank was conducted in December 2023.
Stoke Space says it plans to develop the rocket and reach orbit by 2025,[17] with some independent estimates projecting a timeframe of 2026.[18]
Stoke Space says that Nova can be used for a variety of functions, including deploying satellites to space, performing manufacturing and science experiments in space, collecting and returning satellites, and removing space debris.