When the Heavens Went on Sale

New York Times bestselling author of *Elon Musk*, Ashlee Vance, chronicles the fierce competition among private companies vying for dominance in the new space economy. From the moment SpaceX's 2008 launch shifted the space industry's epicenter to Silicon Valley, a new "Wild West" emerged. In *When the Heavens Went on Sale*, Vance offers unprecedented access to key players like Astra, Firefly, Planet Labs, and Rocket Lab. Beyond space tourism, these firms race to make satellite and rocket launches fast and cheap, transforming low Earth orbit into a commercial hub for global connectivity, analysis, and monitoring. Through immersive reporting spanning labs and launch sites worldwide—from California to New Zealand—Vance captures the high-stakes drama, eccentric personalities, and cutthroat ventures, revealing a world of private jets, espionage, and fortunes won and lost.

Archival Categorization Notes

This literature has been indexed under the primary pillar of Space. It was manually vetted for the Read For Truth database because it provides educational insights into Mission Destination, assisting researchers in locating established secondary research within this specific taxonomy.