An exclusive, deeply reported look at the next space race happening right before our eyes—driven by rival nations, billionaire-funded ventures, and breakthrough technologies once thought impossible—all vying to steer the future of humankind.

In 2024, the Odysseus lander touched down near the south pole of the Moon to become the first American lunar landing in more than half a century—and the first by a private company. “Odie” embodied the ambitions of a new generation of space entrepreneurs, as well as Washington’s bid to rival a revanchist Beijing. A stepping-stone to Mars, and from Mars perhaps to interstellar travel, the Moon is not only a gateway to a new era of exploration, contest, and conquest, but it is also now open for business. It is where settlements, mining operations, nuclear power plants, and data centers are all set to coalesce with the makings of an AI and quantum-powered revolution that promises to fundamentally alter the balance of power.

The race to level up technology, secure resources, build off-Earth infrastructure, and nurture the next generation of Oppenheimers, Fermis, and Einsteins is now underway. First place isn’t just a symbolic win, but rather a strategic path to unprecedented influence and control. America, although turbocharged by tech elites, is at risk of being outpaced by Chinese leadership, who increasingly align commercial enterprise with national security. Not far behind are Russia, India, Japan, and the European Union.

But what do these missions look like? What emerging technologies will prove decisive? Who will arrive and build first? And what can everyday people expect when surveillance states and profit-driven companies compete in orbit?

In Open Space, journalist and space industry analyst David Ariosto gives us a front-row seat to the future. With unprecedented access, he recounts the split-second decisions in mission control and hold-your-breath moments on the launch pad. He travels from research labs orchestrating our planetary defense to antimatter factories and Mars Desert Research Stations, where scientists prepare for how an off-world colony might survive (it involves a diet of bugs). Then, he probes inside the Chinese space sector itself, meeting with key figures and companies and traveling to a remote military station, the prize of Beijing’s space investments in South America. In this global odyssey, we meet the visionaries who are dreaming up the future and the engineers and physicists who are making science-fiction a reality.

After millennia of gazing up at the stars, humanity is now forging the tools to travel among them, all while setting in motion the next chapter of our species. Propulsive, awe-inspiring, and poignant, Open Space charts this epic journey to the final frontier and looks for our place within it.