Stoke Space Nova
| Function | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Stoke Space |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 40.2 m (132 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
| Mass | 227,000 kg (500,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | |
| First stage | |
| Height | 27.1 m (89 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.81 m (12.5 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 183,705 kg (405,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 7 × Zenith |
| Maximum thrust |
|
| Specific impulse |
|
| Propellant | CH4 / LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Height | 13.1 m (43 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 18,000 kg (40,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 1 x S2E |
| Maximum thrust | 111 kN (25,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 430 s (4.2 km/s) |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Launch sites | Cape Canaveral LC-14 |
| Total launches | 0 |
Nova is a fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle being developed by Stoke Space. Announced in October 2023, Stoke Space plans to use two stages with an expected payload capacity of 3 tons (3,000 kg) to low Earth orbit (LEO), with the first stage performing a return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing. The company plans to use 7 full-flow staged combustion rocket engines, burning methalox. The second stage will use a hydrolox (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) engine with 24 thrust chambers ringing a regeneratively cooled heatshield, eliminating the need for thermal tiles. 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.