QuesTek develops nickel superalloy for Stoke Space’s daily-launch reusable rockets
April 23, 2025
In collaboration with Stoke Space, Kent, Washington, USA, QuesTek Innovations LLC, Evanston, Illinois, has successfully developed a novel nickel-based superalloy designed for Additive Manufacturing and high-pressure, high-temperature oxygen environments. The goal was to enable high-performance, fully reusable launch systems at lower costs and with a higher launch frequency.
This alloy is regarded as critical for Stoke Space’s Zenith engine, which operates using a full-flow staged combustion cycle, a high-efficiency machine that demands materials capable of withstanding extreme combustion environments where conventional alloys would be expected to fail catastrophically. The alloy has been fully qualified and meets all performance targets.
QuesTek designed the alloy using its ICMD digital materials design and engineering software platform, to which it attributed the rapid optimisation of composition and processing.
“The development of this printable, burn-resistant alloy is an absolute requirement for Stoke Space to achieve its mission of building reusable rockets that fly daily,” said Jason Sebastian, Executive Vice President of QuesTek. “It’s not an overstatement to say that this type of milestone can change the world. Once this hurdle is removed, I don’t see a limit to the growth potential for the space industry.”
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Enabling the future of space access
The nickel-based superalloys are suitable for production via Additive Manufacturing, which enables complex geometries and cooling channels that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing methods. Leveraging manufacturability also allows for rapid implementation of design changes without the lengthy lead time and expense of producing new tooling.
Bill Mahoney, Chief Operating Officer at QuesTek, added, “The material compositions commonly used to increase strength often reduce printability and burn resistance.”
“QuesTek technology helps clients find their sweet spot where all three critical properties coexist – something that would take traditional metallurgy approaches decades to develop. We achieved it in just months,” Mahoney concluded.
