[echelon]

How do you compete with SpaceX? They're titans. They have the customers, contracts, and revenues, and it seems like they could build your design while still sending off tons of payloads using their existing infrastructure.

What makes your product so different, and how do you grow to anything close to their revenue and volume without them eating you first?

I ask these sincerely and in earnest! You're working on such a fascinating and awe-inspiring problem. I wish you the best of luck, because the field needs competition.

[DennisP]

Everyday Astronaut did a fantastic video of his visit to Stoke Space, that goes into a lot of detail on what makes them so interesting. It's a really nifty design, and they do the same kind of rapid development that SpaceX does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY8nbSwjtEY

Given that Starship is so big, I think it could work out for Stoke to start with a smaller but fully reusable rocket, giving cheap rides to people who don't want to rideshare. Plus, governments tend to be interested in having multiple launch providers.

[mmmeff]

I hope Tim comes through again soon. It's awesome how much has changed since his last visit.

[sebzim4500]

Aside from anything else, if they can position themselves as a clear second in terms of space innovation then that guarantees them billions in government contracts.

The space force is willing to pay a premium to avoid anyone getting a monopoly, we see that with the ULA contracts today.