For lovers of space. An interesting look from the original space race to now and how far away we are from actually getting to Mars.

If you are interested in space, space travel/exploration (and then of course Musk & SpaceX), this is a great book for you. Short, sweet, but informative. Short background on Musk, as he is the founder of SpaceX, but this is an interesting read on the milestones that they have achieved.

Thank you NetGalley for my E-ARC in exchange for honest review.

Are you interested in the latest giant in the space industry that is SpaceX? This coffee table book is here to help you understand how SpaceX became the powerhouse in the space industry that it has become, as well as detailing how Elon Musk came to own it.

SpaceX is split into 7 different chapters: The Unfair Advantage; The Changing Face of Space Travel; Enter SpaceX; The Space Barons; SpaceX Takes Center Stage in Space Race 2.0; The Moon, Mars and Beyond; and SpaceX After Musk. These chapters are all chronological in order making it easy to go backwards in time to a specific point of interest. I cannot say which part of this book was my favourite since this is an ongoing story, and I found it intriguing as to how Musk came to be the individual that he is today.

This book has more writing than usual for this style of book, but it is necessary for the amount of information that has to be conveyed to you. The photos and drawings that were selected were all very nice, I just wish that there were more of them!

My Dad would absolutely love this book, and I would enjoy having this around the house as well.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book, subtitled “Elon Musk and the Final Frontier” is a relatively short book of some 90 pages of text and images. Nevertheless it is a surprisingly comprehensive account of the history, current status and future of SpaceX and its founder Elon Musk. Due to be published in early 2024, this book is very up-to-date and of course topical. This year has already seen a US unmanned vehicle landing on the Moon and further launches by SpaceX as they continue their role in supporting NASA as well as testing rockers and equipment for travel further afield.

Prior to the main topic of the book, which is of course about Musk and SpaceX, the author provides a useful history of space travel, exploration and technology since the Second World war, through the Cold War and beyond. Also provided is a description of the politics, economics and global conflicts which have influenced the progress of space travel. This all provide a useful context to what we have today; multiple-companies collaborating and competing for their own role in this industry as well as joining forces with government agencies, notably NASA in pursuit of exploration and science.

The author provides a brief background on Elon Musk. His upbringing and education and the ‘journey’ to where he is today, founding and investing in several successful technology companies on the way. All useful context to the SPaceX story and in fact explains the funding of Musk’s vision in space.

The book describes, in some detail, the beginnings of SpaceX and the various rockets, technologies, successes and failures over the years. A useful, chronological record to anyone who has been confused with the various terms we hear in the media from time to time. Falcon, Falcon Heavy, Dragon, Starship and so forth. This book discusses each major milestone in the SpaceX story. Technical issues of course but also funding, competition with others and most importantly the NASA collaboration which allows SpaceX to progress its own vision of exploring space beyond Earth and the Moon.

This book is very successful is presenting the complexities of the technologies involved in rockets and space travel. In particular, the innovations brought to the business by SpaceX are particularly well documented. In particular reusable booster rockets & capsules which now make space travel not only affordable but a valid business model for the private sector. Future innovations are also presented as missions beyond the Moon will require resources such as fuel, to be stored and transferred in space to allow more distant missions.

Photographs and other images complement the text throughout the book. Rocket launches, space capsules, but also images from space, artist impressions and most usefully, diagrams of the various SpaceX equipment built and tested over the years.

I think this book will be of great interest to anyone who has followed the Musk/SpaceX story over the years. It provides the background context of the space industry, the current status of governmental and private companies as of early 2024, as well as a comprehensive discussion of how and why SpaceX has become the leading company it is today.