Vertical takeoff and landing test of Stoke Space’s Hopper 2 in September 2023. Source: Stoke Space

Stoke Space received a $4.5 million contract from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype a commercial point-to-point cargo delivery solution to, through, and from space for defense applications, the company announced Aug. 28.

DIU made the award under its Novel Responsive Space Delivery (NRSD) project. In April, DIU awarded The Spaceport Company$2.5 million under NRSD to conduct a prototype launch this year from a sea-based vessel to test autonomous features of the mobile platform and demonstrate expanded equatorial launch capacity.

Stoke, which is based in Kent, Washington, is developing a fully-reusable two-stage that can return to its launch site from orbit. The company said the contract will help it tailor its system to deliver “defense effects” from Earth to unconventional orbits and back.

“Our unique reusable upper stage technology represents a significant leap forward in improving launch costs and launch availability through a flexible and responsive platform,” Andy Lapsa, co-founder and CEO of Stoke, said in a statement. “It also presents new capabilities altogether, such as the ability to move critical payloads through space or return them to Earth. We are excited to collaborate with the DIU to evolve our capabilities to meet defense and national security needs.”

DIU is hosting the NRSD project in response to needs within DoD for responsive and reliable logistics.

“By prototyping commercial solutions for the delivery of cargo and other supplies to, through, and from space, we will equip the joint force with new methods for sustainment that directly address this need and provide a unique competitive advantage, particularly in instances in which conventional logistics pathways on Earth and in space are contested,” Austin Baker, deputy portfolio director for DIU’s space portfolio, said in a statement.

This story was first published by Defense Daily