Looking for a good read? Here is a recommendation. I have an unusual approach to reviewing books. I review books I feel merit a review. Each review is an opportunity to recommend a book. If I do not think a book is worth reading, I find another book to review. You do not have to agree with everything every author has written (I do not), but the fiction I review is entertaining (and often thought-provoking) and the non-fiction contain ideas worth reading.
Book Review
From Startup to Industry Standard
Reviewed by Mark Lardas
October 13, 2024
“Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age,” by Eric Berger, BenBella Books, September 2024, 400 pages, $31.95 (Hardcover), $15.99 (E-book)
Over the last fifteen years Elon Musk’s SpaceX has redefined the space industry. Launching rockets has changed from a stodgy plodding business mired in the 20th century to a dynamic 21st century multiple weekly launch industry. It has reduced launch costs by a factor of 100.
“Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age,” by Eric Berger tells how SpaceX accomplished it. The book follows the history of SpaceX from the start of the Falcon 9 project to the present.
Berger opens after the successful launches of Falcon 1. Berger picks up where his previous history of SpaceX, “Liftoff,” ended. Berger shows how and why Musk chose to abandon the successful but commercially-questionable Falcon 1 and leapfrog past the next development planned, the five-engine Falcon 5. Instead, Musk shifted to the Falcon 9, capable of putting 23,000 pounds into orbit as compared to Falcon 1’s 1000 pounds. He also insisted Falcon 9 was to be fully reusable and launch multiple times, a vision then mocked as unachievable.
Berger shows how SpaceX achieved Musk’s vision. Berger follows the decisions made by Musk and the gambles taken by SpaceX to make Falcon 9 the world’s dominant launch vehicle – reusable and capable of making over 100 launches a year. Through interviews with SpaceX, NASA and competitors personnel Berger takes readers into the process, showing how SpaceX transformed from a scrappy startup to an industry giant. “Reentry” is as much about people as about hardware.
He also shows how Musk retained SpaceX’s startup culture. The jump from Falcon 1 to Falcon 9 was only the first leap taken. Musk kept adding projects including the Cargo and Manned Dragon, Starlink, Starship, and the Twitter takeover. Some, like a propulsive landing system on the Dragon capsule, proved dead ends. More often they yielded revolutionary successes. No one previously made a reusable liquid-fueled booster. Starlink became a money machine.
The book’s only flaw is the epilogue. Berger lays out a vision for SpaceX with recommendations revealing he understands neither Musk’s vision nor SpaceX, despite 20 years of close association with both.
“Reentry” is simply too good to be undone by its flawed epilogue. Whatever his weaknesses as a prognosticator Berger is a first-rate reporter and historian. “Reentry” offers an insightful and detailed look at SpaceX’s rise in the space industry. It is also a fascinating look at Elon Musk, who repeatedly proves to be Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena.” Skip the epilogue. The rest of “Reentry" is must read.
Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City. His website is marklardas.com.