Co-founded by Tom Feldman, Stoke Space Technologies is rapidly developing a 100% reusable rocket. Why is he doing this? "It would be crazy to throw away a 737 aircraft after every flight, but right now, that is the status quo for rockets, the upper stages of which are designed to fall into the ocean and/or burn up in the atmosphere," he said.

Feldman believes the inevitable end state of the space industry is one that wholly relies on rockets that launch, deliver payloads to orbit, return to earth, and then refuel and relaunch on a cadence similar to commercial aircraft. With their fully and rapidly reusable Nova rocket, Stoke aims to create a new space economy by delivering highly reliable, available, and affordable space transportation. In the course of developing Nova, Feldman's nearly 300-person team has created breakthrough innovations in rapid reusability, including designing and building the world's first upper stage with an actively cooled re-entry heat shield embedded directly in its engine. The company has also developed a full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) booster engine, one of only two such engines in the world that are either operational or in active development.

Under Feldman's leadership, Stoke has earned several patents, raised $480 million+ in venture capital, and received the backing of the U.S. Space Force and NASA. It also has secured dedicated launch space at Cape Canaveral and developed three company locations, including a 75-acre world-class rocket engine test facility in Moses Lake, WA.