When The Heavens Went On Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach

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A momentous look at the private companies driving a revolutionary new economy in space, from the New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk Reading about Vance’s interactions with several Astra employees is also very interesting. Some are true believers in the future of space exploration. Others, on the other hand, view what they do as just a job. Regardless of their beliefs, these interviews are memorable. Rather than reading comments from a legendary NASA astronaut, a famous space engineer or scientist, or a billionaire space entrepreneur, it is nice to hear what ordinary people behind the scenes think about spaceflight. No two people have the same opinion about space, and this is clearly demonstrated in the book. The frenzied race by stargazing entrepreneurs to build a new economy in space is one of the most exciting tales of our time. Ashlee Vance, with his immersive reporting and exuberant writing, has captured the ambition and idealism of the colorful characters who are not only transforming our world but our heavens. It's the next tech frontier, and Vance turns it into a thriller." —Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs and The Code Breaker

An] exciting account... provides finely observed portraits of the figures behind the aerospace companies...offers a fresh look at the new space race, and Vance's feels-like-you're-there storytelling captures the "spectacular madness" of the moonshots. It's The Right Stuff for the silicon age Publishers Weekly (starred review) Picture this: hundreds of small, inexpensive satellites fly in formation, snapping pictures of every nook and cranny of our planet on a daily basis. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, right? But that’s exactly what Planet Labs is achieving right now. One big revelation about this book and the big takeaway from this book is the space infrastructure that surrounds our planet and the coming space infrastructure that will increase in this decade and beyond. There is currently about 5000 satellites surrounding the Earth. By the end of the decade, it is predicated the amount of satellites surrounding Earth will increase to 50,000 - 100,000. That's a lot! There are couple type of satellites around surrouding Earth: Weather Satellites, Imaging satellites that take photos of the Earth, Internet satellites that shoot internet down to the ground allowing anyone to connect to the internet no matter how remote they are (like Starlink), ones that anyone to do phone call by satellites, GPS, and even more. All these type of satellites already improve our lives and we don't think about it that much. And there are even more satellites going up within the next decade. Similar to how electronics improved every few years, the electronics in satellites also improve and we will have improved satellites When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach (2023) by Ashlee Vance.The public will better appreciate that after reading When the Heavens Went on Sale, the new book by Ashlee Vance, who previously wrote a biography of Elon Musk (see “Review: Elon Musk”, The Space Review, May 18, 2015.) Here, SpaceX and Musk play only cameo roles. The book is instead, arguably, about the rise of a new generation of startups enabled or inspired by SpaceX’s successes. It is, though, just as much a portrait of the diverse cast of characters that created and worked at those companies. A fascinating read about an emerging, rapidly changing industry . . . If, for any reason, you thought the people in the space industry were boring, When the Heavens Went on Sale will make it clear they far from it The Space Review Space.com: Many companies are now targeting the moon for commercial activity. Can you talk about which of the four companies you featured in your book are going there, and how? Space.com: How much of an influence did NASA have on early commercial space activity, especially with the space shuttle and programs like commercial cargo on the International Space Station?

When the Heavens Went on Sale” is a captivating and insightful account of the new space race, featuring four ambitious and innovative companies that are challenging the established players in the aerospace industry. Ashlee Vance, the author of the best-selling biography of Elon Musk, takes us on a thrilling journey behind the scenes of these startups, revealing their struggles, successes, and visions for the future. This is one of the best books ever written about NewSpace. Ashlee Vance’s new book, When the Heavens Went on Sale, is an incredibly entertaining account of today’s space industry. Vance previously wrote an autobiography about Elon Musk. This time, Vance writes about launching satellites into orbit. Lots and lots of satellites. Since this is a book about satellites and not astronauts, very little is said about the human settlement of space. Some company leaders, for example, believe sending people to Mars is an interesting idea. However, they also show more interest in their own efforts to commercialize low Earth orbit. Others, such as some of the founders of Planet, belong to an organization called the Open Lunar Foundation that wants to establish a human settlement on the Moon. Vance: I want people to know that, yes, this is a space book and a business book, but it's really meant to be a story of larger-than-life characters in stranger-than-fiction situations. I worked very hard — and spent five years getting myself in all these rooms — to give people what I think is the first time ever sitting inside these companies and seeing what commercial space looks like at this level. I wanted to open this world up to the readers. One of the most exciting tales of our time... It's the next tech frontier, and Vance turns it into a thriller' Walter Isaacson, author of Steve JobsFascinating people abound in the book, to the point that sometimes they crowd out some of the technical details. In the section about Planet, for example, Vance discusses that the early Dove satellites suffered many technical problems, from overheating to a change in focus of the camera lenses, that the company did not publicly discuss but raised questions, according to one employee, about whether the whole concept of cheap, mass-manufactured imaging cubesats would work. Planet overcame those problems, but the book elides that troubleshooting process. A] fantastic new book ... I can highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in space, especially if you want to know how space startups work behind the public promises and marketing ... [ When the Heavens Went on Sale] provides real insight into these companies and the people who toil in them." — Ars Technica It surprised me that the author didn't spend much time/paper diving deeper into space-related opportunities - I think there's much more there than it was covered (incl. access to minerals/rare substances). Well-researched and insightful . . . An excellent addition to science or biography collections Library Journal This is the most pressing and controversial technology story of our time, a tale of fascinating characters chasing unimaginable stakes. Welcome to the new Wild West above the clouds.

Full Book Name: When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach Now that you’ve learned Astra’s story, it’s time to uncover how Firefly – our fourth and final company – has made history in the space industry.

When the Heavens Went on Sale

Imagine the limitless possibilities of the Internet, but now transpose that to the boundless expanse of space. That's the playground we're talking about. A new Wild West, not of horse-riding outlaws and gold rushes, but of aerospace engineering and visionary startups powered by private money. Before we look at these companies’ pursuits, let’s first see what they have in common and how these traits have changed the space industry forever. A momentous look at the private companies building a revolutionary new economy in space, from the New York Timesbestselling author of Elon Musk Those quibbles aside, the book is a fascinating read about an emerging, rapidly changing industry were success remains uncertain (Vance noted in the epilogue that there was a chance one of more of the companies profiled would not exist by the time the book was published; fortunately, all four are still around, although Astra is struggling financially.) If, for any reason, you thought the people in the space industry were boring, When the Heavens Went on Sale will make it clear they far from it.