Stoke Space has received permission to conduct engineering studies, environmental assessments, and surveys on land north of its existing Cape Canaveral launch complex. The company announced the Right of Entry from Space Launch Delta 45 on November 6, 2026, as part of its proposed expansion around Space Launch Complex 14.
The site-access announcement identifies a second launch site as the intended development. Stoke plans to use the expanded complex to support launch and reentry operations for Nova Pathfinder and Nova Block 2, its two announced vehicle configurations.
The authorization covers the preliminary site work associated with that expansion. The existing SLC-14 facility is the base around which Stoke is organizing its Cape Canaveral operations.
A Rebuilt Launch Complex
Stoke received its SLC-14 property license in 2024 following a competitive process in 2023. The company reports that restoration and reactivation took just over a year after environmental assessment work.
The location has a long launch history. It was the departure point for John Glenn’s 1962 orbital flight, which made him the first American to orbit Earth. Stoke’s description of the rebuilt facility identifies a horizontal integration building, a Nova launch mount, an umbilical support structure, a flame duct and trench, and propellant systems.
Each serves a different part of launch preparation. A horizontal integration building provides an enclosed location for vehicle assembly and processing. The launch mount supports the rocket at the pad. Umbilical connections supply services between the ground equipment and vehicle, and the exhaust structures channel engine flow away from the immediate launch area.
The proposed northern expansion adds another site-development area beside this established infrastructure. Stoke associates that additional capacity with its plans for repeated launches and recovery operations.
Pathfinder’s First Customer Mission
Stoke’s September 22 Pathfinder manifest announcement identifies AstroForge and Celestis as customers for the first orbital flight, targeted for early 2027.
AstroForge’s Autonomy-1 mission is planned to demonstrate its Solo spacecraft autonomy system. After separation, the spacecraft is intended to conduct its mission without commands from the ground, including support for NASA Goddard’s COMPASS heliophysics payload. Celestis plans to carry its Infinite Flight payload on the same launch.
The flight also forms part of Stoke’s development program. The company identifies the first stage’s Zenith engines, the upper stage’s Andromeda engine, and the upper stage’s metallic reentry heat shield among the technologies that will produce integrated flight data.
Stoke plans additional Pathfinder flights during 2027 and 2028. Its November expansion announcement retains early 2027 as the first orbital-launch target and identifies 2029 as the scheduled introduction of Nova Block 2. The newly authorized surveys and assessments concern the land intended to accommodate the additional launch infrastructure supporting that vehicle sequence.
