The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach
By Ashlee Vance
A momentous look at the private companies driving the revolutionary new space race, from the 3-million copy, New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk.
In 2008, Elon Musk’s SpaceX became the first private company to build a low-cost rocket that could reach orbit. Suddenly, Silicon Valley, not NASA, was the epicentre of the new Space Age.
Space tourism
Ashlee Vance follows four pioneering companies – Astra, Firefly, Planet Labs and Rocket Lab – as they race to control access to outer space.
While the space tourism ambitions of billionaires such as Bezos and Branson make headlines, these under-the-radar companies are striving to monetise Earth’s lower orbit; to connect, analyse and monitor everything on earth.
With unprecedented access to private company headquarters, labs and top-secret launch locations – from the US to New Zealand, Ukraine to India – Vance presents a gripping account of private jets, communes, gun-toting bodyguards, drugs, espionage investigations and multimillionaires guzzling booze as their fortunes disappear.
This is the most pressing and controversial technology story of our time. Welcome to the new Wild West above the clouds.
About the author
Ashlee Vance is the New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk and a feature writer at Bloomberg Businessweek.
He’s also the host of Hello World, a travel show that centres on inventors and scientists all over the planet. Previously, he worked as a reporter for the New York Times, The Economist, and The Register.
- PUBLISHER | Penguin Random House SA |
- ISBN | 9780753557778 |
- Recommended Retail Price | R370.00 |
- Classification | Technology |