Stoke Space unveils bulletproof reusable heat shield to enable second-stage rocket recovery and rapid reuse

Stoke Space developed a reusable, robust heat shield designed to protect second rocket stages during atmospheric reentry so they can land and fly again, addressing the costly fragility and refurbishment delays of traditional ceramic or ablative shields. The company argues that second-stage reusability is essential to lowering costs and unlocking a larger space economy by making rockets more reliable and quickly turnaround-ready.