This Is The Holy Grail Of Rocket Science

Stoke Space is racing to build the world's first fully reusable rockets that can launch, survive reentry, and fly again and again. In this episode of Hard Tech, YC’s Aaron Epstein sits down with Stoke Space co-founders Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman to find out why they chose to take on one of the hardest problems in rocket science, how an obsession with efficiency gives them an edge, and what full reusability could unlock for the future of spaceflight. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs Chapters: 00:00 — Intro 01:16 — Stoke Space’s mission: Rapid reusability 02:18 — Why Second Stage capsules fail reentry 03:34 — Stoke Space’s stage 2 solution 05:30 — Reusability-First Design Philosophy 07:25 — Early Engine Development & Test Strategy 10:48 — Vertical Integration & Manufacturing 11:21 — Iteration Speed as a Competitive Advantage 12:29 — Software as Core Infrastructure 14:00 — Path to Orbit & Launch Operations 15:04 — How This Could Change The World