This is the right framing. @Rkt_Da and I wouldn't have gone through with @stoke_space if we couldn't turn the re-entry problem into an engineering challenge instead of a science problem. That's all we did for the first year. imo it's an important qualifier for any company raising
Several comments asking me about Stoke Space
What they are doing (regeneratively-cooled metallic heat shield using LH2) is pretty neat and has promise.
I talk sometimes about how what SpaceX did with Falcon 9 was more of an "engineering problem" (taking proven mid-TRL
Leak shroud testing – the six-sided metal enclosure around the nozzle is designed to simulate the engine bay of the integrated rocket to identify any fuel or oxidizer leaks during a full mission duty cycle burn.
This is a key test to help retire risk for stage static fire and
Big tank. Big tests. Big milestone.
Nova Stage 1 proto-qualification is complete.
46 structural objectives verified, plus key fluid systems, avionics, software, ground systems, and ops demos. (More detail in our linked blog post.)
This is where new rockets often find the hard
